Round-off of the Chelsea 2021/22 Season

The 2021/22 season for me has been a strange one. Chelsea have had a tumultuous season at best, and at times, it has felt rather blue to be a Blue. Having said that, the mentality of Chelsea FC has really shone through this season. The dedication of the fans has been unwavering and when players might have felt that wearing the shirt is a burden, they have maintained themselves as if it were a privilege. Determination, passion, and focus is the Chelsea way and despite the grey clouds of ownership, sanctions and restrictions, the Chelsea players have pulled their socks up and got on with the football.

The Blues kicked off their season with a trip to Belfast where they competed in the Super Cup. A world-class save from Kepa Arrizabalaga saw Chelsea beat Villareal 6-5 on penalties and take their first trophy of the season back to the Bridge with them. In Chelsea’s next spread of games, the Blues only failed to win three out of a 16-game spell which saw Chelsea hover in first place in the league for a while. In February, Chelsea travelled to the UAE to take on Palmeiras in the Club World Cup final after beating Al Hilal in the semi-final. After a composed penalty from Kai Havertz in the 177^th minute of extra time, Chelsea became Club World Cup Champions for the first time in club history. This moment really gave the feeling that it wouldn’t be the first time that we see this Chelsea side make history.

In terms of signings, one might argue that it couldn’t have gone worse for Chelsea this season. Whether it be selling Tammy Abraham to Roma who has now gone on to become the highest scoring English player in a Serie A season, signing Romelu Lukaku on a club-record £97.5m deal – the only record he’s broken this season being for the fewest touches in a single Premier League game, or the signing of Saul Niguez who has spent the majority of the season glued to the Chelsea bench. Maybe the 2022/23 season will bring more luck for Chelsea, especially since the likes of Connor Gallagher, Emerson Palmeiri and Armando Broja will be returning from their loan spells. That being said, Chelsea fans are wondering what monumental signee will be able to fill the void left by Antonio Rudiger this summer. With Andreas Christensen also set to leave Chelsea and question marks hanging over Marcus Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta, there will certainly be a heavy blow to the back line.

The 4-0 win against Juventus in the early stages of the Champions League would normally be something that Chelsea fans would be over the moon with, but not when the win came with the caveat of losing arguably one of their best defenders, Ben Chilwell. Chilwell suffered an anterior crucial ligament injury during the Blues win at the Bridge which saw him out until the final day of the season where he made his return in Chelsea’s 2-1 win against Watford. Reece James, who plays on the opposite flank to Ben Chilwell at right back has also sustained several injuries this season, seeing him sway in and out of team selection. James commented that this season “has been his worst for injuries yet”.

With Chilwell and James both out for a long period of the season, as well as Ngolo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Andreas Christensen also being out for large spells, it is almost surprising that Chelsea managed a top 3 finish this season. Especially since Chelsea took a rather big dip in league form after the winter break. In January, Chelsea took on eventual league winners, Man City away from home and a splendid strike from Kevin De Bruyne saw Chelsea lose the match, meaning that Chelsea had only won three of their last ten Premier League matches. Thomas Tuchel spoke on Chelsea’s form after the match saying that his team were “mentally and physically tired” and that the team “missed too many key players for too long”.

At times, Chelsea’s season has felt a little bit like a ‘nearly there but not quite’ kind of season. Losing in two cup finals to Liverpool was a hard pill to swallow, especially since both losses came from a penalty shootout. First up was the Carabao Cup final and considering that Chelsea were not favourites to beat the on-form Liverpool side, the Blues played very well – arguably better than Liverpool. However, their solid performance was long forgotten when a controversial decision was made to sub-off Edouard Mendy for Kepa Arrizabalaga in the penalty shoot-out. Although the same decision earnt Chelsea the Super Cup trophy back in August, it did not reward them in the slightest here as the penalty shootout came down to the two goalkeepers taking a penalty – Kepa’s firing miles over the crossbar to gift Liverpool the trophy.

The second blow delivered by Liverpool this season was Chelsea’s loss in the FA Cup final. Again, the match came down to a penalty shootout – this time the decision to trust Mendy was made. However, close misses from the team’s captain Cesar Azpilicueta and Mason Mount saw Chelsea hand Liverpool their second trophy of the season. The fact that the Blues reached both finals and refused to concede in normal time during both games is something that they should be proud of – however, it doesn’t make the losses any less bitter.

The 2021/22 Champions League semi-finals is an event that most Chelsea fans may still not feel ready to talk about. The first leg that was played at Stamford Bridge is by far the worst performance I have seen from this Chelsea side all season. To say it was shocking would be an understatement. Even when Kai Havertz got Chelsea a goal, a Benzema hattrick seemed to put Chelsea’s dreams of holding onto their Champions League title to bed. I’m sure that many Chels fans thought it was over there and then - but that’s football; it’s never over until it’s over, and Chelsea definitely made a point of proving that when they travelled to the Bernabeu for the second leg. The stark contrast in performance from the first leg to the second leg by Chelsea was astonishing and on the flip side of my last comment, was probably the best performance I have seen all season from Chelsea. Mason Mount revived Chelsea’s hopes when he scored in the opening 15 minutes of the game, and Antonio Rudiger even more so when he headed the ball into the net to level the score on aggregate; the complete turnaround being made by Werner who, after an underwhelming two seasons at Chelsea, put the Blues into the lead. When Rodrygo was subbed on for Madrid, I’m sure nobody expected him to score within two minutes of being on the pitch bringing the tie level again. A 96^th minute header by Benzema ended Chelsea’s unbelievable comeback to make the final score 5-4 on aggregate to Real Madrid. I am certain that after earning themselves a place at the 2022/23 Champions League, this Chelsea side will feel like they have score to settle and a point to prove if they are to regain their Champions of Europe status.

Towards the end of the season, Chelsea were inadvertently boosted by Arsenal losing back-to-back league matches, helping them secure a top four finish and guaranteeing them a place in the 2022/23 Champions League. Arsenal’s poor form meant that Chelsea could go into the last game of the season against already relegated Watford with peace of mind, which led to a lacklustre performance albeit a winning one, bringing the Blues season to an end.

All in all, Chelsea Men’s team have two trophies under their belt – one a first in the club history, a third place in the domestic league which is their first time in the top three since the 2018/19 season, and a spot in the 2022/23 Champions League. Despite what has felt like a mountain climb of a season, the Blues have acquitted themselves well and will hope to build on a more solid foundation next year.

Best Moment of the Season: Winning the Club World Cup for the first time in Chelsea history.

Worst Moment of the Season: Being knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid in the semi-finals.

 

Chelsea FC Women’s Team

Chelsea Women’s team have had a brilliant season; there’s not really much you could fault. Emma Hayes, who has since won Barclays FA Women's Super League Manager of the Season seems to get it right every single time. Hayes has produced a side that not only possess the ultimate skill to get the job done but also the fierce mentality, earning themselves the nickname ‘the mentality monsters’. 

When the season opened with a 3-2 defeat against rivals Arsenal, Chelsea fans might have wondered if this season would be the season that Chelsea’s run of wins as Super League Champions would come to an end. But surely those thoughts were put to bed almost immediately when Chelsea went on to win their next seven games. In fact, in terms of the domestic league, the 2021/22 season turned out to be arguably one of the best for the Chelsea Women’s side. Out of 22 league games, Chelsea only failed to win four (two of which were draws). This impeccable form, unique talent and world-class management are what make Chelsea a side to fear.

A key player that has been the absolute pinnacle of Chelsea this season is Sam Kerr. A header that pulled back the 10-player side back into the game against Tottenham, a goal to complete the final day of the season comeback against Man United or a 99^th minute strike to win Chelsea the FA Cup – take your pick. One thing for sure is that Sam Kerr has been a part of some of Chelsea’s biggest and most important moments this season. It is no wonder that this Chelsea side are reluctant to play without her. With 20 goals in 20 games, it is unsurprising that Kerr has an accolade of awards to add to her belt this season, including Chelsea Women’s Player of the Season, Barclays FA Women’s Super League Player of the Year, Women’s Super League Goal of the Season and the FA Women’s Super League Golden Boot.

Following their success in retaining the Women’s Super League title, the Blues then went on to make history at Wembley. An FA Cup final against Man City is exciting enough as it is, but the match was made even more exciting when it was announced that there was a new attendance record for the competition with 49,094 fans travelling to Wembley to watch. The FA Cup trophy being their second trophy in two weeks only made the occasion even more special for Chels.

Third time in a row winner of the Women’s Super League and second time in a row winner of the FA Cup, it is no surprise that the Barclays Player and Manager of the Year both came under the Chelsea umbrella. As I said with the Chelsea men’s team, whenever you watch a Chelsea side play, you often get the feeling that you are watching history unravel.

Best Moment of the Season: Winning the Women’s FA Cup for the second year in a row in front of a record attendance crowd at Wembley.

Worst Moment of the Season: 4-0 defeat by Wolfsburg that knocked Chelsea out of the Champions League.