I maintain that how things have gone this season and how we have managed to largely keep on top of injuries, that there are still more positives than negatives about being able to field an entirely different starting Xl for cup games. I do think it has been beneficial and there have been more pros than cons, so far at least. But how long will that last at this point?
As I actually predicted, there are some cracks starting to show in this setup, and more and more players are becoming very frustrated with not playing league games.
This isn’t a sourced article yet, but I am putting together bits of info to soon make it into one, because I am starting to hear bits and pieces of more players becoming a bit discontent, and I think the Renato Veiga news that came out at the weekend is a prime example of this and what is happening behind the scenes.
It was always going to be impossible for Enzo Mareca and Chelsea to keep all of this large squad happy. There is the valid argument that this is a big club, and at any big club no player can expect to play all the time and there will always be big competition. I don’t disagree with that and it literally is that cut-throat. It’s always club first before any individual.
As I say, I’ve seen it mainly as a positive to have two top options for every position on the pitch. And it has worked wonders for our injuries this season. Remember that period where we didn’t even have a single player out injured? I don’t believe we would have seen that without having our big squad and using two different lineups for league games and cup games. It has many benefits.
But what I am starting to hear about creeping in right now, really does show the opposite and negative sides of this. I can see more players wanting to leave and actively pushing to move, whether that is this month of the summer. Do we really want a conveyor belt of players, or do we want a settled squad? Players who only arrived in the summer already off and discontent? That doesn’t sit too well with me and it’s not a sustainable way to build a squad and to move forward.
I have mixed feelings about it all to be honest. I can certainly see the big positives, but also having a squad with a chunk of players discontent can effect the atmosphere and can start creating a disconnect. I’m not saying that has happened yet, but I am sure that if results continue to be bumpy then we will hear more and more about that coming out. We don’t want to go down that road because that just unsettles things and derails the train.
