Chelsea are in a relegation battle and they're not too good to go down

Glums: Thibaut Courtois has that sinking feeling after Leicester's second
(PAUL ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images)
Simon Johnson15 December 2015

The prospect was laughed off a few months ago, but the time has come for everyone at Chelsea to realise they are in a relegation battle.

Forget reaching the top four, the aim for the campaign now is simply to climb away from the bottom three.

They are very much in danger of becoming one of those teams that pay the price for believing in the misguided ‘too good to go down’ theory.

Anyone who was at the King Power Stadium to see this listless performance, including the hierarchy, should think otherwise.

If being outfought, outclassed and outplayed by a team that were bottom of the league 12 months ago is not enough to convince them, then there is plenty of other evidence to consider.

Player Ratings: Leicester City vs Chelsea

1/22

Granted Leicester are a different proposition now and deservedly lead the top flight. But the ease in which the visitors were undone by goals from Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez either side of half-time was criminal.

This is no longer a blip, it is par for the course. The half-way point in the season is just three matches away and Chelsea sit one point above the drop zone. A glance at the table shows that only the bottom two clubs, Sunderland and Aston Villa, have lost more matches than Jose Mourinho’s men, who have suffered nine defeats in 16.

The form table for the last six matches ranks them 18th out of 20, with a measly four points out of 18.

Other key statistics also reveal evidence that a fight for survival is a reality. Only five sides have conceded more than their tally of 26 goals and just another five have scored fewer than their 18.

They also boast the ignominy of having not won away from home in the league since August — another strong indication of a team in demise.

Stamford Bridge has proved to be pregnable, too. Crystal Palace, Southampton, Liverpool and Bournemouth have all won there and even lowly Sunderland will fancy their chances of making it a famous five on Saturday.

One suspects there will be many, including within the club, who will read all the facts and figures and still let out a dismissive laugh. After all, the squad is packed full of internationals, many of whom were part of the side that lifted the Premier League trophy seven months ago.

The sheer notion they could go from being the champions to the Championship is unthinkable. Yet many would have said the same at the start of the campaign if someone suggested that they’d be in this predicament. For months, fans, pundits, the players and Mourinho himself have confidently predicted a return to form and that a run of victories is inevitable.

Well, the festive period is upon us and everyone is still waiting for the ‘real’ Chelsea to show up. Wishing for it to happen and making it happen are two different things entirely.

To overcome adversity, a club need unity and a bit of luck. Chelsea have neither. The relationship between Mourinho and his players has been the subject of much debate for several weeks. There have been constant denials of an issue, yet even Mourinho admitted after the final whistle that his work had been “betrayed” by the squad.

Some observers in the tunnel area were overheard after last night’s match talking about the strange lack of harmony between the Chelsea coach and his players.

They claimed Mourinho seemed to prefer to talk to anyone from the Leicester contingent, while he was only in the dressing room for five minutes at half-time before heading out and standing on his own outside.

As much as the players deserved to be publicly criticised afterwards, the strength of Mourinho’s views will surely only increase the tension.

“Sometimes I find myself thinking last season I did an amazing job,” he said. “Brought players to a level not their level,” he said.

The togetherness and desire to win seen against Porto last week was exposed as another one-off. Neither captain John Terry nor reigning double player of the year Eden Hazard saw out the 90 minutes for tactical and fitness reasons respectively.

If Mourinho doesn’t consider Terry, who cares about the club more than any other in the dressing room, good enough for the task, then Chelsea do have problems.

The manner in which Hazard limped off in petulant fashion in the first half was hardly a source for encouragement either.

Once again Mourinho’s future at Stamford Bridge is a major talking point and the patience of owner Roman Abramovich must be wearing thin.

But with the players performing like this, it is hard to imagine anyone getting them out of this mess.

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