What's happened to Chelsea?

[BKH70041]

First up, I'm a West Brom fan.

Second, I know some of you probably feel like "Who cares? I'm just glad it's happening!" OK, I understand how someone can hate a team so much they're just glad things are going bad for them. But let's try to step beyond that for right now, if possible.

This is a team loaded with talent, absolutely loaded, who shouldn't be playing as badly as they are. If Barca was currently ranked #17 in their table, I'd be asking the same question.

So what do you think is up?

[truebrit71]

1. Absolutely no clue, but they are completely inept at the moment...

...It's all gone in the shitter since Jose banned the hot doctor from the bench...

But seriously, if they don't start winning soon The Chosen One is going to be The Unemployed One...

[Ron Obvious]

2. I wouldn't be surprised to see Jose walk...

I don't think he's the type to want to stick around long if things aren't going well.

I haven't actually seen any Chelsea matches this season (they're often on ridiculously early here in the PST), so I don't have an informed opinion on this. They have one of the best goalkeepers in the world, and yet they're shipping rather a lot of goals (especially for a Mourinho side). What's going on in defence? John Terry still injured?

I suspect it's a statistical blip and will even itself out, though it would take a spectacular collapse by City to allow Chelsea back in the race at this point.

[BKH70041]

3. I really don't know what's going on with them.

I'm going to have to fall back on the fact that from time to time teams who look good on paper don't necessarily perform well together on the pitch. As professionals in the upper echelon of the game, I would expect them to pull it together and make a go at it. And with the next few weeks of Arsenal, Newcastle, Southampton, & Aston Villa, they have an opening to start making a run.

But they better hurry up.

[T_i_B]

4. And Mourinho's gone.....

[ornotna]

5. Saw it here first

Not sure how I feel about this yet. How do you go from League Champions to a possible relegation fight in one season with that squad? Weird.

[Aquavit]

7. Ask Juergen Klopp...

Granted he wasn't a league champion with BVB last year, but it wasn't that long ago that he was coaching a Champions League finalist.

As much as I enjoy watching Chelsea struggle, it really doesn't make sense that they tanked so quickly.

[BlueCollar]

6. I think it is a result of ego

At many levels. I have played and coached and have seen this before. When you have huge amounts of talent in players and managers it's difficult to keep everyone focused. Add in the ego of the owner and it all goes to hell.

Look at the similarity with the Dallas Cowboys and the Oakland Raiders here in the states.

[Bernie93]

8. this is football mate

They are going to be better next season ,this is football you can have good players but not a good team for a year or 2 !

[BKH70041]

9. I don't think anyone is arguing that's not the case.

The question was more specific as to why. Now they're 12-11-11 and +7 in goal difference which is not Chelsea like. In the BPL, you can almost always count on Arsenal, ManU, Chelsea, and Tottenham being in the top 6 even when they have "not a good team."

I still say they just never jelled this year. They started out on a down note, and by the time they recovered to some degree it was too late. With 4 games left, Sunderland is the only gimme, and this year it's not even a gimme.

But do they have the potential to turn it around for next year? Sure. Anytime you got the amount of money they have, you can turn it around pretty quick.

[HuckleB]

10. Greetings! I'm stoked to find another Baggies supporter at DU!

It is hard to understand what happened with Chelsea, but I wonder about M. This seems to happen with his teams, though not this drastically.

If they beat Tottenham, and allow the Foxes to take the league, I'm good though.