Todd Boehly, one of Chelsea’s co-owners, recently entered the dressing room and gave a speech to the players after their defeat by Brighton.
He reportedly called their season “embarrassing” and criticized a senior player who was signed for a large sum of money.
This intervention may have been intended as a pep talk before their match against Real Madrid, but it is unlikely to have improved morale.
Boehly’s first season at Chelsea has been a mess, and his criticism of the players is unlikely to motivate them.
He is a football dilettante who allegedly advised former head coach Thomas Tuchel to play a 4-4-3 formation.
The player in question could fairly point out that he was signed for Tuchel and has now played under four different managers this season.
The players are not blameless for Chelsea’s poor performance, but Boehly is the first person responsible for the current mess.
His intervention also undermines interim boss Frank Lampard, who is still working to win over the players and stamp his authority on the squad.
Lampard’s use of three different formations in as many games and constant changes to the squad are only sowing more instability.
Chelsea have the chance to change the narrative around Boehly and Lampard with a win against Real Madrid, but as it stands, their relationship looks like another blunder from a co-owner who is building up an impressive collection of misjudgments.
Article updated 2 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
