Chelsea FC performs Groundhog Day

It feels like being part of the movie Groundhog Day. At least it is, what Chelsea FC supporters have to think about, when their next manager seems to leave or has to leave, because of not winning the Premier League title in England. Roman Abramovich is therefore too fixated on winning titles – looks somehow like some kind of fetish. As he is part of a trend of buying football clubs instead of Yachts, he is also part of success and prosperity in an everlasting contest of comparing lenghts. And that is the true and only problem, Chelsea has. They mark time.

The team is hopelessly overaged – parallel to the system of Ancelotti – and the whole squad and style of playing needs a revitalization. The 4-1-2-2-1 they perform most of their games needs plenty of time to get the ball in a dangerous area, is rather difficult in holding ball possession, and – last, but not least – avoids fast vertical passing. They have good performers on the wings, but in the center is a lack of headers and strikers with killer instinct. Torres is a underachiever, can’t legitimate his transfer. Drogba and Anelka are too old. It’s quite often, that they play crowbar-football, with winning by a high quantum of crosses.

Transfers are loosy. First of all Fernando Torres. The 27-year-old Spanian striker fails. If he had asked, I would have told him. But he didn’t. 46 Millions thrown out of window. David Luiz made the horrible fault when Chicharito scored for ManUnited after 37 seconds. It’s the only line of continuity at Stamford Bridge: loosy transfers. And most of them are rather old already. Abramovich and Ancelotti and all the other managers wasted at Stamford Bridge should read the book Soccernomics. You have to get young players, talents, and force their development in the metamorphosis of becoming a dignified player.

Abramovich works on benchmarks. The only benchmarks that exist in football and sports generally, are titles. In football it’s the Premier League, Carling Cup, FA Cup, Champions League – or the Cup of Losers called Europa League. Chelsea gets none of them this season. They failed in making important points against clubs ranked less. So the problem is: There is a high potentiality to loose in every single game. For this the problem are the loosy or slow defenders, plus the rather small midfield as watergate without gatekeepers. The secret of width as the key to success hasn’t found its way to London – it’s also a problem at Emirates. In the British Empire you don’t have a chance in playing system-football. You need a dynamically played and flexibly changing style of football – or the Kick-and-Rush-cliché.

Ancelotti follows dreams of AS Roma and therefore Chelsea is pushed back to square. Once again they need a new manager. Once again they buy new players who will once again underachieve. They need plenty of time to get used to a new system and in the end they are vice-Chelsea again, fail in Champions League and title-race. Managers have to win titles at Stamford Bridge – and that’s the problem. They orientate on short-time success with loosy star-transfers and they are not winning titles finally, because football is made of teams, not individuals. And therefore you have to work long-term. It’s more or less the answer of all questions left: continuity. And that’s the point when we are back at Groundhog Day.