I would argue that with the way things have gone this season and how we have been able to overcome injuries to a great extent, there are still more positives than negatives in being able to field a completely different starting Xl in cup games. I think it has been beneficial, and so far at least, the pros have outweighed the cons. But at this point, how long will that last?
As I actually predicted, some cracks are starting to appear in this setup, with more and more players becoming very frustrated with not being able to play league matches.
This isn’t an article with sources yet, but I’m gathering some information to make it into an article soon. We’re starting to hear more and more players are a bit dissatisfied, and it looks like the Renato Veiga news came out. Going out on the weekend is a prime example of this and what goes on behind the scenes.
It has always been impossible for Enzo Marreca and Chelsea to keep this entire squad happy. There is a valid argument that this is a big club, no player can be expected to play all the time for any big club and there will always be big competition. I don’t agree with that and it’s literally down its throat. The club always comes before the individual.
As I said, I thought it was mainly a positive to have the two best options for every position on the pitch. And that has worked wonders for our injuries this season. Do you remember the days when there were no injured players? I believe we wouldn’t have seen that if we hadn’t had a big squad and used two different line-ups for league games and cup games. There are many benefits:
But what I’m starting to hear now that’s creeping in actually shows the flip side and negative side of this. Whether it’s this summer or not, we’re seeing more players wanting to leave and actively pursuing a move. Do we really want a conveyor belt of players or a stable squad? Are players who only joined in the summer already off and disgruntled? That doesn’t really suit me and it’s not a sustainable way to build a team and move forward.
To be honest, I have mixed feelings about it. I can definitely see a big positive, but having a squad with a lot of players disgruntled can affect the atmosphere and create a disconnect. I can’t say that’s happened yet, but I’m sure we’ll be hearing more and more about it if the results continue to be poor. We don’t want to go down that road. Because it destabilizes the situation and derails the train.
