We are languishing in 10th, 8 points behind ‘struggling’ Man United. Defense is leaking goals, attack is largely misfiring and players are losing discipline.
The mentality has also become like that of a mid-table team. Nothing in and around the club screams world class at the moment.
I just don’t find many differences between Chelsea and say, Crystal Palace (apart from the wages and all). As fans, should we also have a mid-table mindset? Satisfied with draws against the big boys and finishing the season with 45-50 points?
Fans need to realign expectations, yes. From 1989-90 until 2002-03 they finished 11th or below 5/14 seasons, and 5th or below 11/14 seasons. Then Roman’s dirty money came in and bought the league for a long time. I’m not saying that previous period is what should be accepted or acceptable, but expecting top 4 every year just because you are Chelsea isn’t realistic.
Liverpool finished outside of the top 4 in 7 out of 8 seasons more recently. Arsenal had a run of 6 straight. Man United not quite as bad, but missed it in 4 out of 7 seasons. The reality is that clubs need to reset and rebuild sometimes, and that takes time. This isn’t La Liga where Barca and Real are guaranteed top 3 every year.