Graham Potter’s Resurgent Chelsea

Things haven’t been going particularly well for Chelsea this season. They’re currently languishing way down in tenth place in the English Premier League, and they were eliminated at the first hurdle in both of England’s domestic cup competitions. To make matters worse, managed just four goals in 11 games in all competitions throughout January and February.

They only succeeded in winning one of those eleven games and slipped to disappointing defeats against rival clubs Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, and Fulham. If that wasn’t bad enough, The Blues’ new owner Todd Boehly has gambled massively in the transfer market.

The American business mogul forked out a whopping £323 million on new acquisitions in January, more than every team in the top leagues in France, Germany, Italy, and Spain combined. The likes of Enzo Fernández, Mykhaylo Mudryk, and Benoît Badiashile all arrived for staggering fees, but so far, they have been unable to live up to their superstar billing. But as those that maybe try roulette games at online or traditional casinos, occasionally one can hit it big when spinning the wheel, and in the last few weeks, it looks as though the Stamford Bridge club has begun to turn a corner.

Chelsea’s Resurgence

On March 7th at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea defeated Borussia Dortmund by two goals to nil in the UEFA Champions League in what was perhaps their finest performance of the current campaign. Die Schwartzgelben headed to London with a narrow 1-0 lead to protect however, goals from Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz secured the hosts a 2-1 victory over the two legs, securing safe passage to the quarterfinals.

Their most recent triumph came back in 2021. That year, former Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel - who had only been in the job for barely six months - led his side to a 1-0 victory over Manchester City in the Lisbon showpiece to take the famous ‘Big Eared’ trophy back to Stamford Bridge. Following a disappointing start to the ongoing campaign, however, the iconic German manager was relieved of his duties by new owner Todd Boehly.

He was replaced with former Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Graham Potter in an appointment that underwhelmed many of the club's fans. The 47-year-old Englishman has risen from the bottom tier of Swedish football to one of the top jobs in the world, however, his side's performances since his appointment have been disappointing. As such, those fans that weren’t thrilled with his hiring in the first place have been alienated even further.

Following back-to-back wins though, those fans could yet be won over. Chelsea picked up just their second win of their new year at the weekend when they defeated struggling Leeds United via a solitary Wesley Fofana goal to nil. Now with a victory over the current Bundesliga leaders Dortmund under his belt as well, Potter could yet rescue his club’s season and his job.

The Similarities to 2012

Chelsea's maiden UEFA Champions League victory came back in 2012 and marked the team's ascent to the summit of European football after a decade of former owner Roman Abramovich’s takeover. That year, the club went on a fairytale run. They came back from the dead to defeat Italian side Napoli, then defended like lions as they saw off tournament favorites Barcelona in the semifinals.

They would meet Bayern Munich in the final, and to make matters more difficult, the final was held in the Bavarian club’s stadium, the Allianz Arena. The hosts took the lead in the game's dying embers, only for maverick striker Didier Drogba to net a late equalizer. The game would head to a penalty shootout, where the conic Drogba would net the winning spot kick in his final appearance for the club.

But that campaign wasn’t without its troubles. Former FC Porto boss André Villas-Boas was relieved of his duties in the new year, with club legend Roberto Di Matteo taking his place until the end of the season. The club - just as they are this season - was sitting outside of the top four and without a realistic hope of qualifying for the following season's Champions League. The only way they could have qualified was by lifting the trophy that season, which is exactly what they did.

Clearing Out the Deadwood

Whether Chelsea has another fairytale season just as they did 11 years ago remains to be seen. They are still alive and kicking in the Champions League, but with Manchester City, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich all contenders once again, another European triumph seems unlikely. But one thing is for certain, The Blues will be a force once again next season.

Each player snapped up throughout the January transfer window is less than 23 years of age, it's clear that their best days are ahead of them. Add to that the impending arrival of Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig, and the future is very bright indeed at Stamford Bridge. But with the sheer number of new arrivals at the club, a number of the club's older players may well be departing London in the summer.

The likes of César Azpilicueta, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Hakim Ziyech, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek will all surely leave the club at the end of the season. Favorites such as Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic may also be on the chopping block if they don’t rediscover their best form, as could Raheem Sterling, who only arrived last summer. But once the club has been purged of its deadwood, the only way is up for Graham Potter and Chelsea.

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