In football, the ‘12th-man’ is a valuable part of the game and many teams key into the power of their home crowd to further aid their chances of winning.
This season at Stamford Bridge where Chelsea calls home, the Blues have only lost twice (Opening day defeat to Manchester City and a comeback win for Fulham) and managed to pick up 32 points from a possible 48 points (16 home matches).
Despite what seemingly appears to be good home form, much has been made of the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge this season.
Dull, lethargic, and unsupportive are some of the nomenclature that has been used to describe the home crowd by different quarters for a while now, going as far back as the end of Thomas Tuchel’s tenure in charge.
Booing the team and moaning with displeasure when the team tries to build play from behind has become a common practice since Enzo Maresca took charge, bringing back memories of Maurizio Sarri’s time at the helm.
Last game against Ipswich, goalkeeper Robert Sanchez heeded to the demands of the crowd and took a long goal-kick that resulted in Ipswich’s second goal after previously trying to beat the Ipswich press with short passes in buildup.
This was a a huge contrast to the manager’s preferred style of playing short passes in build-up to attract the opponents’ pressure.
The tension at home games this season has been noticeable for fans round the globe and that adds additional pressure on this present young crop of players and inexperienced technical bench to perform.
Representing Chelsea in any form (Player or Staff) is a huge privilege and there will always be pressure to ensure optimal performance and for a sect of followers who are used to wining, the past 2/3 seasons have been tough to witness for many.
Are the fans’ expectations a little too high?
It is normal to have high expectations for your team especially after having spent over a billion and a half on new recruits over the past 3 seasons.
However, the present reality at Chelsea is vastly different from the fan’s expectations.
A young and inexperienced coach managing just his first full top-flight football season with a crop of players that barely have 150 senior club appearances under their belt, this season seemed a bit too soon for them all.
No excuses though, the team is good enough to finish in a Champions League spot and after the confirmation that 5th spot in the league this season gets a spot in the UCL, it would be a lot more embarrassing if Maresca and his boys finish out of a UCL spot.
A failed cup run in both cup competitions didn’t help Maresca’s cause and with just the conference league and Premier League (6 games left), the Italian and his team have very little chances left to get the fans back on their side.
