Will Faulks, Chelsea News, external
So here we are again.
This Chelsea team are making a habit of turning a corner, taking a peek… and then heading back the way they came. Every time their supporters allow themselves to believe for a moment that things are moving in the right direction, the team slumps back to their worst habits.
Saturday’s loss to Newcastle United didn’t even have the redeeming features of some of their other defeats this season. This wasn’t a case of frustrating missed chances costing Chelsea the game, this was just sloppy mistakes combined with what looked disturbingly like a lack of effort in the second half.
No wonder there was tangible frustration from manager Mauricio Pochettino, who openly criticised his players rather than reeling off a list of mitigating factors as he has done on many occasions before.
The injury crisis is over, the new signings of last summer and January have had plenty of time to gel now, and the coaching staff have had almost six months to do their work. The excuses for why this team can’t perform consistently are starting to look thin and tired.
So what now?
Well, given the pattern of the season, probably a couple of impressive performances and good results – then a slump back to reality after that.
As the remaining games of the season run out and another mid-table finish becomes inevitable, the question is: how long are the ownership willing to put up with that?
