Chelsea’s Christmas Nightmare Will Galvanize Champions League Chasing Pack

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Thomas Tuchel’s charges entered the month of December with very little to worry about. All things told, it was January that was predicted to make or break Chelsea’s title charge with crucial games against Liverpool, Man City and Spurs lined up but, as for December, a charitable fixture list was meant to bring good tidings of great joy. Things, however, haven’t gone to plan.

Indeed, Arthur Masuaku’s freak goal in the 87th minute on the 4hth of December derailed Chelsea’s plan for a festive season as West Ham sprung a late surprise by beating their London rivals 3-2. Of course, it’s worth pointing out that losing to the Hammers no longer carries the shame it may have done in times gone by. You only need to look at the current Europa League betting to understand how far David Moyes’ men have come in recent times.

In fact, the latest Europa League tips strongly suggest that West Ham will reach the final of the competition, which speaks volumes about how well organised they are nowadays. So in that sense, the loss at the London Stadium could be stomached with a bit of perspective. But the problem is that Chelsea have gone from bad to worse after Masuaku’s cross somehow evaded Edouard Mendy. 

The Blues’ following four games have seen three draws and a solitary win against Leeds United. But Tuchel’s men flattered to deceive against the West Yorkshire side given that it took two penalties – one in the 92nd minute – and some questionable VAR decisions to beat Marcelo Bielsa’s men. In other words, Chelsea are not at their fluent best and after dropping points against Zenit St Petersburg, Everton, and Wolves, the chasing Premier League pack will be licking their lips. 

Indeed, Arsenal, West Ham, Manchester United, and Tottenham will all feel that they can haul in the Stamford Bridge side over the start of the new year, especially as the January fixture list will crank up the pressure on the Blues. In essence, it’s hard to see how Tuchel’s side doesn’t drop more points over this time and you would have to conclude that if Chelsea were to continue to lose their grip on the top four, then the Stamford Bridge board would begin to get a bit edgy. 

Curiously, history does have a habit of repeating itself at the club and it was in late January 2021 that Roman Abramovich had seen enough and fired Frank Lampard as the Blues lost pace with the top four.

It should be said that Tuchel probably does have a bit more credit afforded to him from the powers that be after winning the Champions League but, then again, this is Chelsea Football Club: relationships sour fast and compensation packages are prepared in the blink of an eye.

The long and short of it is that the Chelsea board refuses to remain inactive when the results go against them, and Thomas Tuchel’s nightmare Christmas will have a few of the hierarchy shifting uncomfortably in their executive seats. Expect the teams behind the Blues to find a strong tailwind in the new year as Chelsea drift around aimlessly, ready to be caught.