Chelsea’s entire club has taken a hit from the sanctions placed on Roman Abramovich. Whilst the sanctions imposed are completely warranted and understandable, members of the Chelsea community have been subject to government rulings.
From the staff, to the players, to the fans, it hasn’t been easy, but both Emma Hayes and Thomas Tuchel have been perfect leaders.
Tuchel’s men faced Newcastle over the weekend at the same time that Hayes team faced Aston Villa. We clearly love a cheeky last-minute goal as both teams took it down to the wire. Whilst Chelsea’s men fight for their top-three finish, the women scour for another Premier League Trophy.
Kai Havertz and Sam Kerr, take a bow.
Keeping the fans at ease is the most important thing for Chelsea football club right now. Fans have been hit with side comments from the media and have been given little to celebrate over. Despite acquiring Champions of the World status and also being the holders of the Women's FA Cup, the mood is sombre around west London. The Blues may have been ceased from Roman Abramovich, but they still have their greatest assets, Tuchel and Hayes.
Going into both home matches, there was mass scrutiny from the media. Many Journalists took a close look at fan celebrations, their chanting, and banners to draw perspectives of what would be an irregular matchday. What many expected to be a full-blown choir of support turned out to be a quiet stadium filled with support from the away end in the mens' game. Tuchel took to the press to call for Chelsea fans to step up the support through such a hard time.
"We need more noise before the goal, honestly. We need more. We need a bit of a tougher crowd." Tuchel post-match.
"For the next games, we need everybody. At the moment, you can really see the guys show the spirit."
It took last-minute goals from Havertz and Kerr for the stadiums to erupt.
Kerr's 91st-minute goal took the headlines in the WSL. Swindling Villa's goalkeeper before taking her shot on target Kerr gives the fans an emphatic celebration. She takes off her top, and the crowd goes absolutely wild. She swings her top as she runs to the bench to celebrate with her manager and teammates in solidarity.
Post-match, she paid tribute to the fans saying,
"Chelsea fans, I'm so happy we could get that last goal for you. We felt your love at Kingsmeadow. You guys were absolutely amazing, and we're going to keep on winning for you".
Hayes had a similar tone to echo Kerr's gratitude towards the fans.
"Amazing spirit and camaraderie from the players to do that. They gutted that out.' Hayes via the Chelsea website.
'I heard them (the fans) at the 90th minute saying, "that's why we're champions!". That was before we'd scored, they were singing for the champions at 0-0.
'All I kept thinking was, we are in our most difficult moment, you're not abandoning the team, and we are not abandoning you. We have to stick together – you know everybody's against us right now. And that I think is giving us strength knowing that we've got each other, and everybody contributed to that win today.'
In a time where fans are feeling the wrath and on the brunt end of the stick, all they could look towards was a weekend of wins. While the women's support was far more impressive than that shown towards the men, Tuchel's team still managed to get the three points after 89 minutes of trying.
The goal from Havertz sent a sigh of relief around the stadium before erupting into a deafening roar. Stamford Bridge was shaking again! The boys in Blue took a relaxed celebration, but you could just see how much it meant to them through their faces. It looked as though a heavy load had been lifted.
Despite celebrations not being as manic as the Women’s, Tuchel’s jeer for joy at the full-time whistle was the breath of fresh air that we needed. He literally symbolised what every single fan was feeling by the end of the match.
It was a touch of passion from both of Chelsea’s team managers. Hayes took to the touchline to celebrate with the girls, something that she is not so accustomed to doing. Whilst Tuchel let loose with joy as he unleashed the pain that we were all feeling throughout the week. We must protect these Chelsea treasures at all costs.
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