Chelsea have been turbulent in the past few weeks, swept and humiliated by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, and the league is on the verge of being out of control.
The team's already dire situation has been aggravated by the public relations crisis caused by two core players during the international match day. The Guardian recently pointed out that Chelsea are extremely dissatisfied with Enzo's behavior, and some people think that his departure will instead provide more stability to the team. Keeping players who are against the team's philosophy is of little benefit to the team.
Cucurella and Enzo obviously did not receive the club's reminder to keep silent.
Enzo clearly wants to move this summer - the Argentine midfielder admitted this week: "I really like Madrid, it's very similar to Buenos Aires."
At the same time, Cucurella was blunt in an interview with TA, saying that Chelsea "paid the price" for their lack of experience, questioning Maresca's decision to leave midway, and saying that the disastrous defeat to Paris in the Champions League Round of 16 made the players "depressed."
The situation is already terrible. Cucurella and Enzo are core figures in the locker room, and their remarks have resonated with many fans. As BlueCo approaches its fourth year of taking over the club, these statements also raise tricky questions: Can Chelsea's operating model bring sustained success on the top stage?
There have been concerns that the team's building ideas violate the traditional rules of football, especially the over-focus on introducing young players. This issue was highly debated when Rosenier took over from Maresca as coach in January. Rosenier cited Manchester United's Class of '92 as an example, who broke Alan Hansen's mockery of "you can't win anything with kids" and won the double in the 1995-96 season. But the rebuttal pointed out that Manchester United's rising stars were surrounded by experienced veterans such as Cantona, Keane, Schmeichel, and Irwin, who could lead the young people through the difficulties. Does Chelsea have such ballast figures now?
Recent performances have given a negative answer. Even if Enzo's complaints are reasonable, as a player who wears the captain's armband when Reece James is absent, publicly criticizing the team is by no means the behavior of a qualified leader. Enzo talks about taking responsibility, but after goalkeeper Jorgensen's mistake in the game against Paris, he publicly reprimanded his teammates. What kind of leadership does this reflect?
A team with a good team culture would never do this. After losing to Everton, Newcastle and Paris in a row, Chelsea have to reflect on the professional mentality of some players. And Enzo's dissatisfaction also exposed his impatience. Chelsea hopes that the young coach will lead the team and believes that the young lineup can grow together, but the hidden danger is that the Argentine star's rebellious remarks show that top players are unwilling to wait for their teammates to slowly realize their talents.
Chelsea are not in a panic. The team still has a chance to compete for the Champions League qualification, and they also have an advantage in the FA Cup quarter-final home game against Wealdstone. There is news that the signing strategy will be adjusted this summer. The previous focus on young players was also due to the need to rebuild after spending money on experienced players before.
Sources emphasized that the team is not only signing potential new stars. João Pedro was already a mature Premier League player when he joined from Brighton last summer. Chelsea also considered introducing a top international defender in January.
Why did Reece James renew his contract? The captain must be satisfied after discussing the summer window target with the management. Even though he is frequently rumored to be joining Manchester United, Palmer is still regarded as a non-selling item by the club, and the management has also made guarantees to him. Caicedo promised to stay at Chelsea, and Cucurella's contract was also renewed last summer.
But this does not mean that everything is fine.
Chelsea are extremely dissatisfied with Enzo's behavior, and some people think that even if he leaves the team, it is not a disaster. It's just that the transfer fee must be high - and Spanish media revealed that Real Madrid has no intention of paying £100 million.
But keeping players who go against the team's philosophy is of little benefit to Chelsea.
This summer will be another crucial turning point. Chelsea just announced a pre-tax loss of £262.4 million for the 2024-25 season, and the top five Premier League seats are in jeopardy. Failing to qualify for the Champions League will make more players question the team's prospects, and Chelsea must regain its cohesion.