Chelsea is 10th in the league. In November it went out of the League Cup to Manchester City. On Sunday, City put it out of the FA Cup as well. It’s won one of its last eight league games. It’s 10 points off fourth place and, while other sides above it seem to be improving, it is apparently getting worse.
Inevitably there has been talk about the future of manager Graham Potter, although, for now, that seems to be coming from outside the club. There’s a noticeable difference in tone as well between the mood among fans at matches and online. But it’s inevitable that when a manager is appointed with no previous experience at this level, there will be doubts as to whether he can ever be cut out for the job. Potter’s past record, at Östersund, Swansea City and Brighton, is extremely impressive: A couple of difficult months as he adapts to a new environment shouldn’t override that. But equally, Sunday’s 4–0 FA Cup defeat at City was dismal.
In part, it’s the result of injuries, especially at fullback. That was something apparent under Thomas Tuchel as well. Without Reece James and Ben Chilwell, players adept both defensively and at getting forward, whether from fullback or wingback, Chelsea often lacked thrust. This season, when James has played, Chelsea has won 64% of games and only 29% without him. When Chilwell has played, Chelsea has won 75% and 29% without him. When both have played, Chelsea has won 80%. Sample sizes are small and that sort of statistic must be treated with some caution (perhaps a player plays only against weaker opposition or is regularly rested in less important cup games), but those are striking figures nonetheless.
