After An Abysmal First Half Of The Season, What Should Be Chelsea’s Priorities In The Second Half?

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8 losses in 20 matches while conceding 31 goals along the way, this is very far from the standards of a club that once let in only 15 goals in a season.

Everyone, whether a Chelsea supporter or not, knew things would drastically change with the club when Roman Abramovich sold it to Todd Boehly. Whether these changes would be positive or negative was the million-dollar question.

It is an understatement to say that under new ownership the Blues have gone from 100 to 0.

Todd Boehly has magnificent long-term plans and a blueprint for Chelsea. He wouldn’t have invested over £1 billion in signing new players to the club in less than 2 years. Sadly, pretty much all the decisions that have been made so far during his reign as Chelsea owner have seriously backfired. 

After their thrilling 4-4 draw against 3-time champions Manchester City, Mauricio Pochettino, the current coach said that the players are now confident in the knowledge they can compete with the best teams.

This has not been the case as they’ve had some pretty embarrassing results against lesser opponents after this match.

Many Chelsea fans are optimistic that if Pochettino is given time, he will come good for them. After all, he has been quite unlucky that during his time in charge of the Blues, the club has been rocked with a series of injuries.

Star striker Christopher Nkunku has been unavailable all season and became fit about two weeks ago, Romeo Lavia as well has been unavailable all season. Ben Chilwell and captain Reece James have also faced a series of spells on the sidelines.

Maybe when the Chelsea coach has the majority of his players fit and available we will see his side being able to compete with the best teams like he earlier boasted.

After Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea in June 2003, the billionaire put in place strategies and also spent a pretty penny to ensure that Chelsea grew to new heights. He brought in self-acclaimed ‘special one’ Jose Mourinho to manage the club.

The likes of Didier Drogba, Micheal Essien, Ricardo Carvalho, and others were also brought in to improve the quality of the team. 

Pretty much every decision made by the Russian billionaire paid off as Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea team went on to achieve nothing short of greatness. Plus, it took them next to no time to achieve this. There was not any talk of waiting for things to mature.

Based on this precedence, one can understand why any Chelsea supporter would be frustrated with how things have turned out so far under the new ownership.

The Blues definitely had a season to forget in 2022/2023. They broke one abysmal record after another. The less said about their form last season, the better.

The 2023/2024 season at some point seemed to be following last season’s template. However, there are a few positives for Chelsea this season and it is best they key into these positives when making decisions as regards their strategies for the latter half of the season.

First off and most importantly, Chelsea are in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup after defeating Newscastle in a stellar match. Their opponent in the semi-final is Middlesbrough, a team from the first division. The Blues have the quality to see off Middlesbrough but they should by no means underestimate them.

After all, it must have taken something special for a team from the first division to reach the semi-finals of a competition in which the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal, and Tottenham Hotspur also play.

Chelsea and Liverpool are favorites to meet in the final. It has all the recipes of being an iconic fixture as both sides have drawn 7 times in a row now in all competitions.

Mauricio Pochettino should draw out all his experience as a manager to motivate his side should they meet Liverpool in the final. The players also should leave everything on the field and more should they meet Liverpool in the final.

In 2012 and 2021, the Blues were by far the less favorites when they faced Bayern Munich and Manchester City respectively in the Champions League final. They ended up winning both games. It will be truly iconic if they pull off a similar feat if they face off against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final.

It is safe to say Chelsea doesn’t stand a chance of qualifying for the Champions League next season. After 20 matches, they sit in 10th position and are 12th points off 4th-placed Arsenal.

Their players are gradually getting back from injury, and it’s expected they bring in one or two new faces in the January transfer window. 

Based on this, Pochettino and his boys should ensure they do everything possible to qualify for the Europa League or at least the Conference League. It would be a huge disservice to the club and fans as well if they miss out on European competitions two seasons in a row.

Winning the Carabao Cup and qualifying for the Europa League or Conference League, should be Chelsea’s top two priorities in the second half of the season.