It’s been a rollercoaster season for Chelsea in every sense, who would have thought the defending Premier League champions would be hovering in mid-table by the end of the campaign? It’s certainly been an outrageous campaign.
There’s certainly been some stand-out moments for the Blues though, although not all of them are memorable for the right reasons, but we’re here today to take a trip down a recent memory lane and identify the most bizarre moments in Chelsea’s ill-fated campaign.
From the first kick-off until the end of the season, it’s ultimately been a season of disappointment for Chelsea and we’re sure the fans can’t wait for this campaign to end and for work to begin towards hopefully better fortune next year- especially after Antonio Conte was appointed the next manager.
Whether he succeeds depends on whether he can fix the problems Chelsea have but that’s a discussion for another date. For now, we’re focusing on the outrageous moments of the season.
Hit the image below to see the FIVE most outrageous moments in Chelsea’s season!
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Hazard’s goal drought
An outrageous scenario that’s still ongoing, Eden Hazard has yet to find the net in the Premier League. Considering he was Chelsea’s catalyst to success last term, and won both PFA Player of the Year honours, it’s a ridiculous situation.
Over the summer, Jose Mourinho declared Eden Hazard was better than Cristiano Ronaldo and that comment has been thrown around a lot jokingly since. Hazard has time to end his goal drought before the end of the campaign but, with a high-profile transfer heavily linked for this summer, he may never score in the Premier League again.
The Carneiro fiasco
A defining moment in Chelsea’s season, which started the passage of Jose Mourinho’s downfall at Stamford Bridge, the situation surrounding Eva Carneiro was embarrassing. After just doing her job, Mourinho hung her out to dry in the media.
That in itself was bad enough but she was then banned from all first-team related activities. Unsurprisingly, she then left her role and took the case to court. With all the on-field troubles going on, Chelsea could have done without off-field issues.
China buys Ramires
Chelsea’s decision to sell Ramires in the January transfer window wasn’t outrageous in itself but instead it was his destination, and his ridiculously high transfer fee, as we saw the emergence of China on the global transfer market.
£25m for a bit-part player is a staggering price and it showed money talks. We also saw Alex Teixeira and Jackson Martinez tempted by the lure of cash to the Far East but Ramires, leaving the Premier League, could potentially be a defining moment in the development of the transfer market.
Mourinho gets axed
After creating a poisonous atmosphere in the dressing room and amidst a wealth of poor results, it was hardly surprising when Jose Mourinho was axed in mid-December. Everyone saw it coming but it’s still outrageous.
Mourinho is one of the most talented managers in the world and the best Chelsea have had within their Premier League history. Now, Chelsea’s loss could become Manchester United’s gain if they appoint the Portuguese boss in the summer.
Awful start to their title defence
Chelsea’s season has been poor overall but the first-half of their Premier League campaign was abysmal, as the Blues flirted with relegation and found themselves a long way off where they wanted to be. Ultimately, it all came down to results.
By the turn of the year, Chelsea had won just five Premier League matches and had experienced losses at the hands of Everton, Crystal Palace, Leicester City and Bournemouth, to name just a few. It wasn’t until February when the Blues won back-to-back Premier League matches.
