After two humiliating losses today Chelsea's hopes for finishing in the top 3 in the league are beginning to diminish. After closing the gap on Liverpool late in the first round of league fixtures, Chelsea has really made a mess of things by losing to AC Milan, Liverpool and Man United. All three losses have been uncompetitive and certainly uninspired. The players looked sluggish and distracted and Sir Burns looked confused and incredibly frustrated at times.
Chelsea fan's are beginning to turn on both their manager and their players after they've watched their beloved team crash and burn this GIMP season. Chelsea was expected to contend for first in the league and was supposed to be a dominant force. It seems that the mental toughness of the players has been lacking and the once fan favourite coach, now crazy hot-head, is folding on the pressure. Chelsea must now set their sights on finishing in the top 3 in the league, rather than first, and focus on winning the DFA Cup (their only shot at hardware).
Although Burns was upset, he failed to deliver what was certainly expected from him by most. He didn't take any shots at any fellow managers and gave them all credit for beating him fair and square. Even United wearing blue against Chelsea (a calculated move to piss him off?) wasn't enough to produce a hateful sound bite from the manager.
So does this mean we'll see a new Burns from here on out in the league? "I'm still going to do everything I can to win in the league. I don't want to disgrace Chelsea anymore than I already have. It hurts me to see whats going on just as much as the fans in the seats. I'm a fan too. We're not going to give up in the league but if we need to rest players and experiment to get ready for the cup matches then we'll do it. I spoke to a man who knows a lot about crumbling under the pressure of being expected to finish tops in the league. Rafa gave me great advice on 'rolling with the punches' and realizing that a tournament trophy is still a trophy. If I have to sit players out to give them rest then I will. We must with the cup!"
No comments:
Post a Comment