The end of Chelsea or a new beginning?

MUNICH, GERMANY – MAY 19: Club owner Roman Abramovich (R) lifts the trophy in celebration while Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne (C) applauds after their victory in the UEFA Champions League Final between FC Bayern Muenchen and Chelsea at the Fussball Arena München on May 19, 2012 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

European Champions. The feeling still hasn’t sunk in to a number of Chelsea fans across the globe. News on the block is that Roman Abramovich wakes up every morning and visits the trophy room to get a reality check. His pride and honor is flanked by a Premier League trophy and a FA Cup with a Community Shield in the background with a dusty place for the FIFA Club World Cup. All got for a little more then a billion pounds since his takeover from Ken Bates on 1 July 2003. Only few realized how much the club would achieve from that day on-wards.

If I was asked to give a speech today on my favorite club, I would probably start like this ” Today I stand before you all with full confidence that my club, Chelsea FC, has done it all. We have proved ourselves in England and in Europe and it’s just about time the Roman Army conquered the entire world.”

With 7 trophies to play for next season, Community Shield, UEFA Champions League, Premier League, UEFA Super cup, FA Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and Carling Cup, fans around the world have to get behind our team so as to ensure a largely successful season. But can we undo all our hard-work with one simple mistake? Chelsea has been known for that in the eyes of “some” clubs. But can a club actually do that?

LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 16: Jose Mourinho, Coach of Inter Milan gives instructions as Carlo Ancelotti, Manager of Chelsea looks on during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg match between Chelsea and Inter Milan at Stamford Bridge on March 16, 2010 in London, England. (Photo by Phil Cole/Getty Images)

All the way from 2007 managers have been slapped left and right by the Big Man. From very successful coaches like Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelloti to downfall provoking coaches like Fellipe Scolari and Andre Villas Boas. A manager has to leave, that’s the Chelsea way of dealing with trouble. They say time heals wounds but in Roman’s clock there is no alarm.

Roberto Di Matteo has done what no manager could do for Chelsea – win the Champions League and that to with a managerial status of “Caretaker”. Imagine this situation. Di Matteo gets off with a wonderful start. 21 points out of 21 in the first 7 games. We are on the verge of topping our group in Champions League and have won the FIFA Club World Cup but lost the Super Cup to Athletico Madrid. Then the so called “Chelsea curse” slump begins. Roberto loses matches consecutively and Roman starts making appearances in the stands with his blue shades. And then one fine day after losing 2-1 to a “weak” team with dodgy refereeing decisions, he fires Di Matteo in the tunnel.

I’m pretty sure half of you have already imagined this. The reputation as it is in front of other clubs and pundits is a joke but has Roman finally seen sense? Has he finally realized that the club needs consistency to build on their successes?

We have been criticized since the game against Barcelona about our negative tactics. But people forget the 4-1 thriller against Napoli where we showed Manchester City how to beat the Italians and the old guard silenced their critics with a never-give-up attitude.

Chelsea has to change, no doubt, but one thing is quite sure that we have changed the way people think about beautiful football. People barely had an answer to “Tiki Taka” with Jose Mourinho being one of the few who master-minded their downfall. But Di Matteo and Chelsea have written their names in the history books by coming with a plan that not many could see coming. Parking the bus was called the Italian way of playing football and they too had only 7-8 men behind the ball. But the way Chelsea defended over the two legs at the Bridge and Camp Nou shows that defense is the most consistent part of this team.

With the inclusions of Marko Marin and Belgian starlet Eden Hazard, things look very bright in West London. Silverware is in sight and the club only has to walk up the stairs and collect it. But each step is polished well and could ensure a slip-up but with proper planning and careful decisions, Chelsea can once again conquer Europe and that to in a more demanding fashion.

So in a nutshell, Chelsea should keep on climbing up the ladder and not down. Another wrong decision by the management could prove fatal and that is not what Chelsea fans would like. Consistency is a key and with the players acquired and soon to be acquired we could go a long way as we look forward to a new beginning without our Old Guard. If seen two dimensionally, Chelsea could just be on the verge of saying good bye to the likes of Frank Lampard and John Terry and re-shaping the symbols of Chelsea Football Club, but with the inclusion of new blood we could also be heading to a new beginning.

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