From the stunning goals & assists to the unbelievable saves & clearances, to the emphatic victories and heartbreaking losses & draws, what a roller-coaster season it has been! And, we’re only halfway through it! Then there’s the off-field drama which arguably has been as intense as the action on the pitch!
From a playing perspective, Chelsea started off the 2021-22 season in strong fashion and put themselves in a great position to compete for trophies on all fronts. While that’s still technically possible, the typically dreaded December has again reared its ugly head and really put a chink in the previously perceived impenetrable Blues armour.
Specifically, Chelsea played a staggering 9 times in December 2021 and in that time dropped points against West Ham (loss), Everton (draw), Wolves (draw) and Brighton (draw) to find themselves in second place, 11 points behind the reigning Premier League (PL) Champions Manchester City.
The fact the Blues were able to not only field a side for each game, but also be competitive was the real surprise given the rising influence and prominence of the rapidly-spreading omicron virus which is impacting the Premier League and society more broadly.
That said, Tuchel and Blues fans would be disappointed with the manner in which these dropped points occurred given the Champions of Europe were ahead in their games against the Hammers, the Toffees and the Seagulls respectively.
Notwithstanding the drop-off in the PL, Chelsea continue to march on in other competitions, namely, the Blues qualified into the round of 16 of the Champions League via a 2nd placed finish behind Juventus, and, booked their place into the final four of the EFL Cup whereby they will square-off against the perennial under-achievers and London rivals Tottenham.
Below is a chronological recap of Chelsea’s 2021-22 season so far, and, the road ahead for the remainder of the campaign.
August 2021
Results:
- Chelsea 1-1 Villarreal (Blues won 6-5 on pens) – UEFA Super Cup
- Chelsea 3-0 Crystal Palace
- Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea
- Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea
Commentary: The Blues enjoyed a bright start to the campaign as they won another European trophy (the Super Cup) to cement their status as Kings of Europe and also commenced their domestic domination quest in strong fashion as they won 2 of their 3 Premier League matches and earned a solid point against fellow heavyweights Liverpool at Anfield (with 10 men for the 2nd half).
The performance of the month was their victory over North London neighbours the Gunners as Lukaku and James bullied the home side and humbled Arteta’s men at the Emirates to remind them and the world what colour London was, is and will always be!
Highlight of the month: split between winning the Super Cup, Chalobah’s debut goal for Chelsea at the Bridge, and Reece James’ goal and celebration against Arsenal!
Rating: 8/10
September 2021
Results:
- Chelsea 3-0 Aston Villa
- Chelsea 1-0 Zenit (Champions League)
- Tottenham 0-3 Chelsea
- Chelsea 1-1 Aston Villa (Blues won 4-3 on pens) – EFL Cup third round
- Chelsea 0-1 Manchester City
- Juventus 1-0 Chelsea (Champions League)
Commentary: This month was a mixed bag for the Blues in multiple competitions. Chelsea won 2 of their 3 Premier League matches and whilst they only lost 1-0 to the Citizens, the brutal reality was the home side were passive and outplayed by a team that has chemistry and quality on their side given they have been the dominant force in England over the past 5 or so years. From a European perspective, the Blues beat Zenit at home as expected in a tighter-than-anticipated affair but unfortunately lost in Turin thanks to a sublime solo goal from Chiesa.
Highlight of the month: Chelsea’s strong second half display against Tottenham which saw the Blues score 3 goals to earn them an emphatic 3-0 win at three point lane, I mean Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Rating: 6/10
October 2021
Results:
- Chelsea 3-1 Southampton
- Brentford 0-1 Chelsea
- Chelsea 4-0 Malmo (Champions League)
- Chelsea 7-0 Norwich
- Chelsea 1-1 Southampton (Blues won 4-3 on pens) – EFL Cup round of 16
- Newcastle 0-3 Chelsea
Commentary: A perfect month for Tuchel’s men, at least results-wise. Three big wins in October, including the demolition of the poor old Canaries at Stamford Bridge whereby the Blues faithful were in 7th heaven. Chelsea found a nice balance between being defensively sound & organised, as well as finding their attacking groove, albeit these were strong performances and results against teams that they were expected to dispatch with minimal fuss. In the end, a month’s job well done.
Highlight of the month: Split between Mason Mount’s Stamford Bridge hat-trick vs Norwich, and, Mendy’s heroics against the Bees to earn a hard-fought and highly valuable 1-0 win at Brentford Community Stadium.
Rating: 9/10 (would’ve been 10 had the Blues won in normal time against the Saints in the EFL Cup).
November 2021
Results:
- Malmo 0-1 Chelsea
- Chelsea 1-1 Burnley
- Leicester City 0-3 Chelsea
- Chelsea 4-0 Juventus (Champions League)
- Chelsea 1-1 Manchester United
Commentary: Another mixed bag for Chelsea. On one hand, the Blues played some of their best football and won convincingly against Leicester* and Juventus back-to-back (which came at a big cost with injuries to Chilwell and Kante), on the other, Tuchel’s men frustratingly could not collect maximum points against the Clarets and the-then Michael Carrick Red Devils. Throughout the month, the Blues started to experience increases in the number of player absences which would seriously test their supposedly superior squad depth in the busiest period of the campaign (more on that below).
Highlight of the month: There were many! The key ones that stood out were: Kante’s run and goal vs his old club the Foxes, Silva’s acrobatic goal-line clearance against Juventus, and, Reece’s rocket against the Old Lady.
Rating: 7/10
*On a personal level, it was a real honour and privilege for me to make my debut appearance on Chelsea TV as a special guest and join the panel for their matchday show which included a pre-match, half-time and post-match segment of Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Leicester.
December 2021
Results:
- Watford 1-2 Chelsea
- West Ham 3-2 Chelsea
- Zenit 3-3 Chelsea (Champions League)
- Chelsea 3-2 Leeds United
- Chelsea 1-1 Everton
- Wolves 0-0 Chelsea
- Brentford 0-2 Chelsea (EFL Cup Quarter Final)
- Aston Villa 1-3 Chelsea
- Chelsea 1-1 Brighton
Commentary: Hello December my old friend! Chelsea were flying high and were on top of both the PL ladder and the footballing world! But, through a continued rise in injuries and number of covid-related absences, in conjunction with the Blues’ inability to be ruthless in front of goal, the League landscape materially changed and outlook deteriorated.
A freak implosion against the Hammers, along with an ability to hold onto leads (Everton and Brighton) or find the breakthrough goal (Wolves) saw Chelsea drop vital points to not only surrender the place at the top of the summit, but also have now given themselves a metaphorical mountain to climb in trying to reel-in Guardiola’s champion Citizens. 11 points is a big gap, and while improbable, is not insurmountable.
Highlight of the month: While there wasn’t too much to celebrate during another dreaded December, beating old-time rivals Leeds via a last-gasp injury-time penalty from the ice-cold Jorginho (who scored a pen earlier) was an awesome feeling!
Rating: 5/10
Overall Assessment
Summary:
- Premier League: Played 20, won 12, drawn 6, lost 2 (currently in 2nd place, 11 points behind Manchester City)
- Champions League: Played 6, won 4, drawn 1, lost 1 (finished runners-up, now versing LOSC in round of 16)
- Carabao Cup: Played 3, won 3 (now into the semi-finals vs Tottenham)
- Super Cup: Played 1, won 1 (Won the Super Cup trophy)
Top 10 Scorers and Assisters:
| Name | Goals | Assists | Played | Goals per 90 | Mins per Goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
9 | 1 | 23 | 0.45 | 201 |
|
Mason Mount
|
7 | 5 | 24 | 0.41 | 219 |
|
Romelu Lukaku
|
7 | 0 | 18 | 0.56 | 160 |
|
Reece James
|
5 | 6 | 23 | 0.28 | 323 |
|
Timo Werner
|
5 | 2 | 13 | 0.57 | 157 |
|
Kai Havertz
|
4 | 1 | 20 | 0.29 | 309 |
|
Ben Chilwell
|
3 | 1 | 12 | 0.32 | 281 |
|
Trevoh Chalobah
|
3 | 0 | 18 | 0.22 | 409 |
|
Hakim Ziyech
|
2 | 4 | 17 | 0.18 | 503 |
|
Callum Hudson-Odoi
|
2 | 3 | 18 | 0.15 | 613 |
Source: BBC Sport
Commentary: So far, so good. Well at least reasonably good. It’s been half a season yet a tale of two halves. The first half involved a fast start from the Blues. While the European Champions did not necessarily play their best football to begin with, they certainly knew how to get the job done in an efficient and effective manner.
However, throughout various parts of the campaign, Chelsea has delivered some top-quality football and created some truly memorable moments e.g. the Juventus and Norwich thrashings, the second-half destruction of Spurs, the quick-out-of-blocks start against the Gunners. Conversely, Tuchel’s men have also produced some underwhelming, passive and ineffective displays e.g. the Manchester United, Brighton and Burnley 1-1 draws.
This consistent inconsistency (along with not having enough fit players) is what is threatening their aspirations to recapture their status as the nation’s best alongside being Europe’s best.
Highlight of the season (so far):
While there have already been a plethora of memorable moments, the five that captivated me the most were (in no particular order):
- Mendy’s heroics vs Brentford
- Mount’s hat-trick vs Norwich
- Reece’s rocket vs Juventus
- Silva’s clearance vs Juventus
- Chalobah’s debut goal in our opener vs Crystal Palace (what a gem he has been!)
Season Rating (at present): 7.5/10 (still competing on all fronts, played some great football on occasion but have also caused frustration and disappointment in recent times).
The road ahead (Jan – May 2022)
With 18 games left in the PL, a semi-final clash with Spurs in the EFL Cup, the round of 16 in the Champions League against LOSC, the start of the FA Cup, oh and the Club World Cup, it’s safe to say that this is the half of the season that truly matters! The foundations have been reasonably set, now is the time for Tuchel and his Blues to now fully focus on their mission, claiming the all-important silverware to add to Chelsea’s prestigious cabinet!
The ‘how’ this will be achieved is somewhat more challenging to envisage given the misfortune Tuchel and his players have experienced at various parts of the campaign as a result of an acute set of injuries and covid-induced illnesses. Perhaps part of the solution lies in the now opened January transfer market. Specifically, there has been strong speculation regarding the acquisition of players to help fill the void in the left wing-back, centre back and centre midfield positions, all for varying reasons (injuries, unresolved contract negotiations, capitalising on opportunity to plan for the long-term).
Another interesting factor to consider is whether the club will consider recalling (or attempting to recall) some of their loanees, for example, Billy Gilmour, Conor Gallagher, Ian Maatsen or Emerson Palmieri. Adding to this is the hot-off-the-press infamous interview involving star striker Romelu Lukaku. Will that have any ramifications for himself or the club? Time will tell!
While we don’t know how the next month is going to transpire, what is certain is that the above context has set the platform for a blockbuster month full of intense transfer speculation and the associated frenzy that comes with it. Strap yourselves in Blues fans, it is sure to be a bumpy ride!
With huge League clashes coming up against title hopefuls Liverpool and current front-runners Manchester City in the same month as the frantic mid-season transfer window, the PL crystal ball might become abundantly clear and confirm City as the overwhelming favourites to retain their crown, or, show that the future destination of the Premier League title is as clear as the Premier League’s criteria for postponing matches or when/how VAR is to be used each match.
Wrapping Up
It’s already been an action-packed season, both on and off the pitch!
Chelsea have shown both sides of themselves; a side full of potential and excitement, ready to mix it up with the best; and; a side that is still learning & developing chemistry / cohesion under a manager in his first full season. For the most part, the Blues have played some quality football and have created some great moments for the highlights reel. Equally, they have also unearthed some of the problems of yesteryear (dominating possession and creating chances but not being clinical / ruthless, and having unexplainable errors) which has caused frustration for both Tuchel and Blues fans alike.
It is important to highlight that a materially contributing factor that has disrupted Chelsea’s campaign has been the unprecedented, concurrent and recurring set of injuries and illnesses which would impact any side to varying degrees. While the Blues do have a good degree of squad depth due to their relatively wide talent pool at their disposal, this can only last so long and is not sustainable.
Putting this misfortune to the side, Tuchel will be fully aware that the players he does have at his disposal that are (somewhat) fit have the ability to be delivering better performances and results, as was demonstrated in their recent matches whereby the Blues had been the better side but either surrendered a winning position or failed to capitalise on their overall dominance.
Then there’s the small factor of inconsistent officiating in crucial moments which, when times are tough, can really compound matters. Enough with the excuses/relevant context, Chelsea Football Club is used to dealing with adversity and often thrives under this sense of pressure and reveals its true character – a Champions character!
Here’s hoping Tuchel and his current Blues can channel the Chelsea character of old and adopt a ruthless, siege mentality to show the global footballing community why we are Europe’s best!
Come on you Blues! 
Twitter: @RJ_Goodthings