The Blues News

Chelsea players need to step up and take responsibility.

3 points. 2 lapses. 1 point. Some post match rants, after Reading 2-2 Chelsea.

3 Reading players were unmarked for their second goal. 3 players. 3 players unmarked for a set piece, when Reading were chasing the game.

Something similar happened in the loss against West Ham. Wrong players were marking the opposition players.

It is not always the coach’s fault. In situations such as the Reading goal, the players need to be more aware of what’s happening around them. Letting opposition players have an easy shot on target is just silly.

You play footy with your friends, and you know, which players to mark. Even you, who is not a professional footballer who gets paid millions of pounds in wages as annual salary, know that you need to, at least mark an opposition player.

If the player is marked and he gets away, then it still can be forgiven. The opposition is there to play as well. You can give them some credit. For instance, the Le Fondre first goal for Reading, Cahill over committed himself, Ivanovic was close with Le Fondre, but Le Fondre got away and smashed the ball past a hapless Turnbull.

Reading’s first goal could be put down to a concentration lapse. Concentration lapses have been a familiar sight this season. All it takes is to lose your concentration for a millisecond and the opposition have scored. That is professional football. That is why the players are getting paid handsomely. They are getting paid to play to the best of their abilities even in a pressure cooker situation. Not to slack off.

If the players start blaming it on pressure then I’ll tell you what pressure is.

Pressure is when you have no job, you are neck deep in debt, you have a family to support and you don’t know where the next meal is going to come from. That is real pressure.

Chelsea players need to man up. Every time something goes wrong, they can’t expect Roman to swoop in, fix the situation by sacking a manager. It is time they put their hands up and start taking responsibilities. Roman has somewhat protected the players in the past and recently. The manager was made a scapegoat. That action, more often than not, resulted in positive results.

Chelsea players have been behind many a managerial sacking. Scolari, AVB, RDM. Yes even RDM. There were rumours that Robbie was only sacked once he lost the dressing room. Dressing room ‘Incidents’ were reported after the West Brom loss and pre-Juve loss.

When a Chelsea legend cannot command the respect he deserves from the players, what can you expect from Benitez – most loathed opposition manager in Chelsea history perhaps?

Chelsea players played out of their skin, on road to the Champions League triumph. They displayed a certain super human strength in defying the odds. Punched the beejesus out of Barca in Nou Camp with 10 men and Conquered Bayern in their own backyard in the final. There was of course, the unseen, divine intervention.

But, the super human determination displayed by the Chelsea players, is lacking this season. It is as if they have conquered all and don’t have the will to play for anything. It is as if they are playing, just for the sake of it. It is as if, playing football is just a job for them, show up for work and return home with a salary. Well, football is their job but football is much more than just a job. Maybe they’ve forgotten that. Maybe Chelsea players need to watch their own performance in the Champions League last season.

It is time to wake up from the slumber. It is time to wake up from the dream. It is time to face the reality. It is time, Chelsea players Stood Up and Took Responsibility. It is Time.