How Chelsea Resemble Spain. 2014 Spain Not 2010 Spain.

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It becoming pretty difficult to keep picking ourselves up off the canvas to once again be knocked down with a sucker punch. That’s the fans, and the team.

Bournemouth played their part perfectly. The ultimate counter attacking performance with grit and hard work in abundance in what they will deem a deserved victory.

It’s no secret that last season we would have put a team like Bournemouth to the sword and come away with 3 points.

Things just feel different this year. We just can’t get momentum and anyone other than Jose would have been shown the door by Roman by now.

Eden Hazard as a Striker
For me, Hazard playing up front on his own isn’t quite working. Against Spurs we didn’t have anyone to lead the line and his best chance, a header over the bar, would have been put away by Costa 99 times out of 100.

Yet that doesn’t make me scream for Costa’s return up top either. He seems lacklustre too.

He reminds me of the Diego Costa we saw in the 2014 World Cup for Spain. After a glorious season he looks slow, lethargic and almost uninterested at times. His goal celebrations don’t seem to carry the passion they did either.

Eden Hazard

Chelsea 2015 and Spain’s World Cup of 2014
Come to think of it, Chelsea’s whole season resembles Spain’s ill-fated 2014 World Cup campaign. Becoming only the fifth team to crash out of the tournament at the group stage while being the holders.

A team full of superstars struggling to turn the cogs like they used to and no-one able to figure out quite why.

Except Chelsea’s is being drawn out over a longer period of time. Our suffering has lasted a full 4 months now. At least Spain’s pain was over in the space of a few weeks, with the players being able to lick their wounds over the remainder of the summer and return to their famous club sides with reputations not quite in tatters.

Chelsea’s situation is more brutal than that. With games coming thick and fast they are exposed to every single result until May. And how they will wish it was almost May already.

There isn’t even a January winter break to give them a brief respite.

Jose’s Admission
Jose is hoping for a top 6 finish now and even for that to occur, he needs his players to perform.

This season isn’t quite completely ruined but it isn’t far off.

For the fans part, lets get behind the team and behind Mourinho. The negativity will only weigh on their shoulders.

And while Spain of 2014 had no way to return in a knockout tournament, The Blues saving grace is that there are 23 games ahead to salvage pride, reputations and anything else that matters.