After winning the Champions League just the previous season, the expectations of finishing higher in the league was imminent. But, due to the fall in quality and mentality of the players, gradually it led to a season that wasn’t expected from the best team in Europe. Chelsea however, produced wonderful football throughout the campaign and all thanks to the German manager (Thomas Tuchel) for implicating his visions and style into the players to display class and authority.
The season ended for the London side with a 2-1 victory over Watford where a last minute goal from Ross Barkley stole the show. The season opener on the other hand, was a cracker as Chelsea ease past Crystal Palace with a 3-0 victory. Alonso’s 27th minute goal marked the first goal of the 2021/22 season for Chelsea followed by Pulisic and the debutant T.Chalobah.
A short story describing the entire 2021/22 season
The season opened with a 3-0 win over their formidable foes Crystal Palace who poises serious threat to a number of clubs in the league. Tuchel’s tactics paid off right in the first half when a Marcos Alonso shot found the ball in the back of the net marking the team’s first goal of the campaign. Chalobah has been a prolific player at the back four position alongwith Rudiger who probably had one of best seasons of his career.
The North London Derby was another game that showed Chelsea’s supremacy in the league when they put 2 goals past the weak and shaky Arsenal side and all thanks to Romelu Lukaku and Reece James. James’ role in the Chelsea defence had been immense this season. Not only has he been a worthy and a brilliant defender but also played a key role in the Chelsea’s attack throughout the season.
Chelsea’s first three opening games was a hell of a ride as they had to face Palace, Arsenal and Liverpool in a span of a month. Liverpool vs Chelsea was one of the best games of the seasons that the fans have witnessed. Havertz opened the scoring chart right in the 22nd minute of the Derby silencing the entire Anfield crowd. However, just before half-time a controversial hand ball was given against Chelsea which saw Reece James receiving a red card from the referee and gifting the home side a penalty to reduce the deficit. Despite Liverpool’s constant pressure, the Blues defended bravely throughout the 2nd half and the match finally ended on a 1-1 score line. Chelsea’s decisive defensive abilities once again proved to be pivotal in claiming the much needed point from Anfield.
After getting beaten 1-0 by the Turin side in the opening night in the UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE the London side cruised past Malmo with a 4-0 score line. In the reverse fixture against Juventus, they were completely shattered when Chelsea won the game once again with a 4-0 score line. However, in the final game of the group stage in this mega competition, Chelsea were handed a 3-3 draw against Zenit. M. Ozdoyev scored right at the end of the stoppage time to prevent Chelsea winning the tie and finish at the top of the table.
However, the Carabao Cup and FA Cup final led to utter despair to all the fans and the team of course, as they were defeated by Liverpool in both the games. The games were identical in every aspect and the outcome of the game were decided in an enthralling penalty shootout. On the other hand, Chelsea came very close in defeating Real Madrid in the 2nd leg of the Quarter Finals in the UCL. Tragically, Marcos Alonso’s sumptuous left footed goal was deemed as an off-side which prevented then from winning the game. A night to forget surely for the team as that could have been one of the best comebacks ever. Karim Benzema’s terrific season proved to beneficial for the Madrid side.
COMPLETE STATISTICS OF THE 2021-22 SEASON:
Premier League
Top Scorer- Mason Mount (11 goals)
Top Assists provider- Mason Mount (10 assists)
Most Appearances- E.Mendy
Top points – 74 points in 38 games with 76 goals scored and 33 conceded
GA- 43
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Top Scorer- Timo Warner (4 goals)
Top Assists provider- Hakim Ziyech (2 assists)
Most Appearances – E.Mendy
Carabao Cup-
Top Scorer- Kai Havertz (2 goals)
Top Assists Provider- Mason Mount (1 assist)
FA Cup-
Top Scorer- Romelu Lukaku (3 goals)
Top Assists Provider- Mason Mount (3 assists)
Chelsea’s Record (In all Competitions)
Premier League: 21 wins, 11 draws, 6 loss
Champions League: 7 wins, 1 draw, 2 loss
FA Cup: 4 wins, 0 draws, 1 loss
Carabao Cup– 4 wins,0 draws, 1 loss
Now let’s have an overview of the entire season of Chelsea-
Spurs were left crumbling
Chelsea faced Spurs for the first time this season on the 19th of September, 2021 away from home. The London Derby was a much highly anticipated match where both the teams are expected to be at the top of their games. However, the scenario was completed different as the match went underway. Spurs solidified their defence by signing the Argentine C.Romero but all their efforts to stop Chelsea from scoring went all in vain.
The first half of this high intensity fixture resulted in complete frustration as both the sides were unable to get the better off each other. The game finally took the much-needed momentum when Chelsea scored just after half-time creating a nervous and twitchy atmosphere throughout the newly built Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Most interestingly the oldest player on the pitch Thiago Silva scored the opening goal of the Derby. Within a span of another ten minutes Kante scored another one for the away side which helped them in slowly secure all the three points in their bag. Chelsea enjoyed majority of the possession (53%).
Tottenham were constantly under pressure as Chelsea struck a total of 20 shots out of which 10 were on target which helped them to score another one right at the end of the game. Chelsea’s defenders seemed like mere attackers throughout as the German International( Rudiger) scored the last one. Spurs’ new manager (Nuno E. Santos) was completely left helpless by the tactics orchestrated by Thomas Tuchel and his fellow teammates.
No Trace of Norwich City was left
Another blockbuster game for the men in Blues as the Canaries were awestruck by the home side. Just after a 4-0 win over Malmo in the group stage of the UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE the home side once again produced their dominating gameplay. Norwich was completely shattered as the game ended with 7-0 scoreline marking yet another landmark in Chelsea’s gigantic history.
Mason Mount scored the first goal of the day Hudson Odoi right before the 20th minute. Both the fullbacks ( James and Chilwell) scored as well. Max Aaron’s own goal in the 62nd minute helped Chelsea increase their goal difference. Shortly after the own goal B.Gibson was shown a red card which acted as a catalyst later as more goal galored in the Stamford Bridge. Mason Mount scored two quick goals after the 85th minute helping him complete his much deserving hat trick. On the other hand, Chelsea enjoyed a whopping 62% possession throughout the game and registering a total of 23 shots. Meanwhile, the helpless Canaries were able to only register 3 out of which 1 was only on target.
An enthralling encounter with Luton Town
Chelsea faced Luton Town away from home in the 5th round of the FA Cup. Chelsea was left awestruck right after the 2nd minute when R.Burke scored for the home side. A brilliant corner saw Kepa Arrizabalaga helpless as the ball went in making him look helpless. The home fans roared with enjoyment as they certainly didn’t expect them to score so early. However, a Timo Warner pass in the 27th minute of the game found Saul at the right place who didn’t make any errors to prevent him from scoring and putting the game on level terms. Another miracle happened in the 40th minute when a brilliantly orchestrated counter attacking play by the home side scored another one, thanks to H. Cornick who calmly dealt with the situation and helped them stay ahead of the important fixture.
Chelsea came back with two important goals later on in the 68th minute and 78th minute scored by Lukaku and Warner respectively to go ahead in the competition. Warner was deemed the Man of the Match as he was able to produce 2 assists and a very important goal to his name.
Brentford’s punishment
The newly promoted team to the Premier League had produced a stamp this season as they simply wept past the former Champions league winner, Chelsea. On the 2nd of April,2022 Brentford visited Stamford Bridge after a very long time and stole the show. Chelsea crumbled and Brentford kept on applying pressure. The first half once again led to a frustrating one, meanwhile, the other half was an absolute cracker.
Chelsea scored right after half-time when an unexpected Rudiger punch from a long distance went in. It was one hell of a goal and later on became the contenders for the best goal of the season. V.Janelt scored with his left foot right after two minutes when Chelsea were leading. The home crowd was shocked and the away crowd shouted as loud as they could. Eriksen had once again come to haunt Chelsea when he scored right after four minutes giving his side the lead. A cheeky little pass from Ivan Toney saw V.Janelt free who made the run inside the box and a simple chip was enough to increase the lead and beat Mendy. The show wasn’t over yet. Brentford kept on putting pressure on the home side who certainly lack the flair and elegant tactics paved by Tuchel.
The day went from bad to worse when Y. Wissa scored the fourth goal making the score look unreal. 4-1 it was!
Real Madrid’s unreal performance
Chelsea once again found Madrid on their road to the Champions League title in Paris. The quarter-Final game took off in style as Karim Benzema put Madrid in the lead at Stamford Bridge. Two quick goals from him helped Madrid have a two-goal lead at Stamford Bridge. Havertz pops in with a header to pull one back for Chelsea right before half-time making the fixture even more interesting.
Right at the beginning of the 2nd half, Benzema once again punished as an awful Chelsea mix-up helped him reap his hat trick. Stamford Bridge was silenced as the game ended in Madrid’s favour. This time Chelsea visits the mighty Bernabeu with a 3-1 deficit and no away goal rule. An emphatic Mason Mount goal helped Chelsea grab the early lead in the 2nd leg of the fixture despite trailing on the aggregate goal. Rudiger’s bullet header in the 50th minute made the game take a whole new turn. A very controversial offside ruined all the hopes of a comeback when Marcos Alonso scored making the tie in Chelsea’s favour. However, Warner produced a brilliant solo goal after the 70th-minute mark making Chelsea the team to go through in the competition.
Madrid is a kind of team that fights till the final breath. So was the case here. Luka Modric who has displayed his class throughout the years once again provided a brilliant assist to the young Brazilian winger Rodrygo who made no mistakes to put that ball inside the back of the net and thereby make the tie once again on level terms. Benzema who can’t be stopped this season from scoring goals scored another one in the extra time restoring Madrid’s lead. Jorginho on the other hand, missed another opportunity later to settle the tie. However, Real Madrid the 14 times Champions League winners overcame Chelsea in a thrilling contest of football.
Chelsea’s star-crossed finale
Liverpool faced Chelsea in both the FA CUP and the Carabao Cup final this season. Both the finals bound in Wembley with more than 80,000 spectators saw the same outcome as Liverpool won both the domestic cups. The Carabao Cup final ended with a 0-0 score and the penalty shootout became the decider to choose the winner. After a prolonged period of penalty shootouts with both the teams scoring in every spot-kick, Kepa Arrizabalaga finally missed it as the ball went flying into the stands.
Meanwhile, on the 14th of May when both the parties once again met. The game was dragged into the penalty shootouts which certainly happened to be a very entertaining one. Mendy pulled off a majestic save against Mane giving Chelsea the hopes of winning the trophy but a Mason Mount miss later ruined this opportunity. However, Chelsea once again missed the chance to win a trophy this season leading to a trophy drought this season.
Chelsea’s Player of the Season: Mason Mount
The 23-year-old England international midfielder had one of the best seasons of his career. Whenever Chelsea needed a breakthrough it was he who tried to make a major impact and get the team get going on the front foot. Despite being a midfielder his stats speaks highly as if he is a designated striker. Having played a total of 32 games in the Premier League this season the young man has been able to register a total of 11 goals and 10 assists. Apart from this, he has been also able to score in the Champions league especially in the Madrid clash when a much-needed goal was required. Throughout this season, Mount was able to create the right pressure on the opponents when it was needed during defending and was also able to open up the gameplay up front while attacking.
Our view on the 2021/22 season
After ending the season on the third position in the Premier League the fans and the team expected a much better season. Winning the Champions League the season before made a bold statement that Chelsea can win the League. However, league and knockout competitions shouldn’t be compared as the tactics and gameplay vary a lot. The season has produced a lot of setback for the team as both the domestic Cup finals went out of our hands and then losing to Madrid which happened to be a very controversial one.
But what is important is that everyone needs to learn from their mistakes. Mistakes certainly makes someone better. We believe that the past shall be forgotten a new era of Chelsea supremacy shall take place the next season where the team can once again lift as many trophies as possible and most importantly finish even higher in the league.
Our Rating For 2021/22 Season: 6/10
