Chelsea’s season review: Lukaku flops but Tuchel delivers trophies before takeover turmoil
In truth, though, nearly everything that happened on the field was overshadowed by what was going on off it, with Roman Abramovich sanctioned by the UK Government and forced to sell his club to the Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium after 19 years of ownership.
Amid such turmoil, Tuchel did remarkably well to guide the crisis-hit club to a third-placed finish in the Premier League, particularly as it appeared as if the wheels were threatening to come off at one point during the business end of the season
elow, GOAL runs the rule over a dramatic 2021-22 campaign that featured massive highs and devastating lows…
Player of the Season:
For the second time in his three seasons at Chelsea, Mason Mount was named the club’s player of the season, and rightly so.
The England international cemented his status as one of the Blues’ key men by creating 16 goals in all competitions, as well as scoring 13 himself.
Cesar Azpilicueta gives a speech and gives Mason Mount his Player of The Season award. #cfc #chewat pic.twitter.com/ct8PmUbou4
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) May 22, 2022
However, honourable mentions must also go to Thiago Silva and Antonio Rudiger, given the Blues’ success was once again founded upon their excellent defensive works.
The Brazilian veteran continues to defy the ravages of time with his inspirational performances at the back, while his German accomplice proved himself one of the finest centre-halves in the world with a stellar season.
Indeed, dare we suggest that had Rudiger not already agreed to move to Real Madrid when the fan vote was being cast, he may well have pipped Mount to the title of Chelsea’s Player of the Season.
Goal of the Season:
Antonio Rudiger brought the house down with his stunning strike from distance against Brentford in April, while Hakim Ziyech’s characteristic curler against Spurs in January was a goal of sublime aesthetic beauty.
However, Mateo Kovacic’s sensational volley against Liverpool had a bit of everything.
technique was on show as he adjusted his body to send a clearance flying back into the top corner of Caoimhin Kelleher’s net.
Stamford Bridge erupted and, thanks to Kovacic’s thunderbolt from the blue, Chelsea came storming back to claim a 2-2 draw in a game in which they had been in danger of losing heavily.
Performance of the Season:
The Blues’ best display came in strange circumstances.
Amid uncertainty surrounding the club’s future, and after a devastating 3-1 home defeat to Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, Chelsea almost completed their very own Mission: Impossible in the return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Chelsea played wonderfully to put themselves 3-0 up at the home of Europe’s most successful club, after goals from Mount, Rudiger and Timo Werner.
However, Luka Modric’s spectacular outside-of-the-boot assist enabled Rodrigo to send the game to extra time with a well-taken volley.
The Blues missed great chances through Christian Pulisic and Kai Havertz before Karim Benzema decided the tie in Madrid’s favour.
Chelsea won 3-2 on the night but lost 5-4 on aggregate to the eventual 14-time European champions. Still, it was a heroic effort from Chelsea in the most trying of circumstances.
Disappointment of the Season:
Romelu Lukaku may have finished as Chelsea’s top scorer, with 15 goals in all competitions, but his first season back at the Bridge was undeniably a disaster.
Heralded as the missing piece of the puzzle for last season’s Champions League winners, who had struggled to score enough goals to sustain a Premier League title challenge, Lukaku looked perfectly poised to add a whole new dimension to the attack after firing Inter to a first Scudetto in 11 years.
However, it quickly became clear that he wasn’t a great fit for Tuchel’s style of play and an unsanctioned interview with Sky Sport Italia led to more controversy which resulted in him being dropped for criticising the coach’s tactics.
Of course, there’s fault on all sides for this deal not working out but there is no more damning indictment of just how badly this club-record deal has worked out than the fact that a cut-price move back to Inter is now being explored.
The Verdict:
Winning the Club World Cup was a proud moment for Abramovich, as it meant that he had seen the club win every possible trophy since taking over in 2003.
However, the controversy that had always dogged Roman’s reign eventually caught up with him, forcing him to hand over control of Chelsea in the worst possible fashion.
It was certainly a shame that the 2021-22 campaign will forever be associated with Abramovich’s chastening exit, given the players gave their all over the course of a gruelling campaign.
There were a total of 63 games in all competitions, six of which lasted 120 minutes, so it was no surprise that Chelsea were left feeling depleted and disappointed by the season’s end.
But Tuchel and his charges should take enormous pride out of their efforts and, with new owners now in place, the club can finally start putting the past behind them and looking towards a brighter future.
