Chelsea are not having the best of seasons, are they? A club used to tasting success and achieving silverware under its previous owners, have suddenly fallen down from a cliff with Mauricio Pochettino having to pick up the pieces.
A nightmare last season saw Chelsea finish a lowly 12th in the Premier League, consequently missing out on the spot for European competitions all together and even bowing out of the UCL at the hands of Real Madrid in the Round of 16.
With an inflated squad, Todd Boehly’s leadership of the club has been nothing short of dysfunctional so far. Even after chaotic troubles on and off the pitch, the club managed to appoint Mauricio Pochettino, the former Tottenham Hotspur and PSG manager, in a hope to turn around Chelsea’s fortunes.
There certainly have been some upturn in form. Improved performances in the cup competitions, reaching and losing the Final of the Carabao Cup to Liverpool and now facing Man City in the Semi-Final of the FA Cup have to be appreciated but it’s more of the same from Chelsea.
Going from 12th to 9th in the Premier League would hardly qualify as improvement for a club of Chelsea’s stature. Barring Cole ‘cold’ Palmer’s brilliance and carry job aside, making the difference game after game for them this season, the Blues have been found lacking in every department of the field.
It really is not that difficult to see the lack of commitment and desire from his teammates. The sheer lack of adherence to the project, ideas, will and ambition on part of of the players is alarming and a recurrent theme of Chelsea’s season. So it is no surprise, that the players once again find themselves under scrutiny.
Following their emphatic 6-0 win over Everton in the Premier League, thanks to a poker from Cole Palmer, some of the players were seen making gang signs and joking around after the final whistle. While it is certainly acceptable to celebrate a victory and that too after a wonderful performance, the gestures made by the players almost made it seem they forgot about their objectives or that they felt this is the best they can offer.
Noni Madueke was seen making an ‘Illuminati’ gang sign in the tunnel after the game while right back Malo Gusto couldn’t stop himself from making a ‘Marksman’ gesture towards the camera. Even Trevoh Chalobah was seen imitating the iconic ‘Wakanda Forever’ whilst heading towards the dressing room.
It’s obvious that this behaviour didn’t get down well with the fanbase. A section of them had seen enough and wanted them out of the club.
Some fans were even agitated by this immature nature of behaviour by their players and wanted them show a bit more seriousness. The gestures were deemed to be embarrassing by the fans.
The fans also called for a bit more respect for the game and the club, signalling respect towards the opposition and the objective of the season, which doesn’t seem fulfilled after defeating relegation-threatened Everton at home.
Rival fans had a ball and a nice time blasting the players, questioning their ability to win silverware and calling Palmer the only bright spot of the team.
While it’s certainly more than just acceptable to celebrate after a big win, but respect towards the club you represent and the opposition should be in order. It is highly debatable to what degree these signs undermine the sportsmanship aspect of the game, the behaviour is certainly a bit unusual.
It is also safe to add that these players, Madueke, Gusto and Chalobah are still fairly young and learning the trade of the game. So it wouldn’t exactly be prudent on part of the fans to pick on them for something like this. While it was certainly immature on their part, seniority will certainly teach them a few things. After all, they are some of most promising young talents in football and these things come naturally with age.
