Chelsea once reached the top of the world less than a year ago, but is now facing the risk of sliding downhill. This is a reality showing the harshness of top football.
9 months ago, in July 2025, the London team defeated Paris Saint-Germain with an overwhelming performance to win the FIFA Club World Cup. Although the value of the title is still controversial, the way they won brings great faith. Chelsea is fully capable of competing with the strongest teams in Europe.
Under coach Enzo Maresca, they closed the season with the Conference League title and a place in the top 4 - not perfect, but enough to lay the foundation for the future.
But only 8 months later, everything changed direction. Returning to the Champions League, Chelsea played well for most of the time, but the collapse in the final moments caused them to be eliminated with a heavy total score of 2-8. This is a shock not only for the result, but also for the belief.
The consequences extended to the Premier League. The 0-1 defeat to Manchester United caused The Blues to be 10 points behind their opponent. The gap with the Champions League group is increasing, while the risk of being left behind by Liverpool is still present.
Coach Liam Rosenior admitted that the team is facing "a mountain difficult to overcome". He does not deny the difficulties, but also does not accept giving up. However, the reality on the field does not support him. Chelsea have lost consecutively and have not scored - something that has never happened since 1998.
However, shifting all responsibility to Rosenior is probably too simple. He is only a representative face to the media, while the core issues are deeper in the operating structure of the club - things he does not have enough time and power to solve.
BlueCo's takeover once opened up great expectations. A series of expensive contracts helped soothe fans, but over time, excitement gave way to doubt. An inexperienced management apparatus, a young squad but lacking bravery and depth. That is the reality that Chelsea is facing.
Maresca's departure further complicated things. The initial anger turned to the leadership, but then gradually shifted to Rosenior - the person who appeared most often in public.
Co-owner Behdad Eghbali has spoken out, promising to change the transfer policy, switching to recruiting experienced players. But those statements are not convincing enough. Between words and reality, the gap is still too large.
The Blues currently possess many young talents, but lack stars who can decide the match. Long-term contracts help preserve player value, but do not guarantee success on the pitch.
The dissatisfaction of fans is increasingly apparent. Protests, shouts "we want Chelsea to return" are echoing not only outside the stadium but also on the Stamford Bridge stands. The belief of The Blues fans is being seriously eroded.
What is more worrying is the future of the team. If they do not win a ticket to the Champions League, Chelsea will have difficulty attracting top players.
That puts Rosenior in a difficult position. If given time, he needs a strong transfer window to rebuild the squad. But if he does not have a Champions League ticket, resources will be limited. And then, he himself may become the one to pay the price.
Chelsea is at a crossroads. Another wrong decision, and the journey back to the top may last longer than they thought.
