Chelsea fans flocked to Twitter to blame Marina Granovskaia for their side being held to a 1-1 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion on Tuesday night.
Thomas Tuchel’s side took the lead in the 28th minute when Hakim Ziyech’s strike beat Robert Sanchez at his near post.
But the Seagulls bounced back and took control of the tie after the goal from the Moroccan, deservedly getting their equaliser in the 60th minute when Adam Webster powered his header past a helpless Kepa Arrizabalaga.
It was a performance from Tuchel’s side that left a lot to be desired, with an obvious lack of energy and passion in the team.
But rather than criticise the poor performances of some individuals, Blues heaped the blame onto director Granovskaia and her poor recruitment.
One said: “To anyone who still backs Marina Granovskaia, you are not a Chelsea fan. You do not deserve to enjoy our successes as a club that are in spite of her and you are a key factor in our downfall as a football club. By accepting mediocrity, you have welcomed failure.”
Another added: “Chelsea have a problem and the board isn’t seeing it. We’re going to lose Thomas Tuchel because of Marina.”
“Chelsea won’t find a better manager than Tuchel. We won’t challenge for the league until Marina and Scott McLachlan (scouting) leave. I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t back the best manager in the world,” said one Blues supporter.
Who is to blame for Chelsea's poor form recently? Have your say in the comments!
Whilst another joked: “Marina has to pray every single night how lucky she is that Kante grew up a Chelsea fan because, without him, the last four years look a lot worse.”
With wingbacks Ben Chilwell and Reece James both sidelined with extended injuries, questions are being raised of why reinforcements and quick-fix solutions have not been found this month.
Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta have stepped up in the absences of the first-choice duo, but the Spanish pairing simply do not other as much attacking prowess and lack the pace to be a nuisance in all areas of the pitch.
Lucas Digne was linked with a move to Stamford Bridge from Everton but a deal never materialised and the French fullback joined Aston Villa instead, which left some fans confused as to whether the club are content with their current options.
But Tuchel shied away from pointing the finger at his players for underperforming, instead, blaming the Premier League for the congested fixtures list that has left his squad feeling ‘tired’.
He told BT Sport: “We looked tired, and we are. It's like this, we knew they were well prepared, they had more time and less games to prepare for this match. You see at the end the reaction after the whistle, the stadium celebrated like a victory. That's what you face.
“We need our full strength to overcome this obstacle at the moment, it's difficult so no blame for the team. They tried everything but you can see they're mentally tired. We need some days off. We have two days off and two days to prepare for the next match against Tottenham. Then the boys need some days off, there's no other solution.”
It remains to be seen whether Chelsea recruit any star players this month and in turn, Granovskaia can regain the faith of supporters.
