Premier League 
/ Richard Aikman / 20 February 2011 / Leave a Comment 
A miserable Chelsea crach out of the FA Cup - is a Champions League exit looming too?
"The Londoners' demise this season has been as unexpected as it has been sudden and it is difficult to comprehend exactly how a double-winning side can unravel so spectacularly over the course of a few months."
Last year's double winners have been a pale shadow of their former selves this time around and there are signs that this could be a long-term decline, says Richard Aikman
So where do Chelsea go from here? Out of the FA Cup, out of the League Cup, and by Carlo Ancelotti's own admission, out of the Premier League running as well (they are [26] to remain champions this season). On Tuesday they take on FC Copenhagen in the UEFA Champions League, where defeat is unthinkable. So how does Carletto steer Chelsea out of the storm?
FC Copenhagen were every group winners desired round of 16 opponents, but now you have to wander whether they are worth backing at [5.9] to beat the Blues in Denmark. Indeed the [6.6] about Jesper Gronkjaer and Co reaching the quarter-finals at Chelsea's expense has to be considered, with Chelsea's morale sinking deeper with every passing match.
The Londoners' demise this season has been as unexpected as it has been sudden and it is difficult to comprehend exactly how a double-winning side can unravel so spectacularly over the course of a few months. Before the £72m double swoop for Fernando Torres and David Luiz in January, Roman Abramovich was accused of allowing his side to age without investing in new talent, but Yossi Benayoun, on a free, and Ramires, for £22m, did arrive in the summer to compensate for the outgoing Joe Cole and Deco.
If there was an oversight by Chelsea management in terms of their transfer policy it was perhaps the failure to replace Ricardo Carvalho until last month, but John Terry, Alex and Branislav Ivanovic are three tough and dependable defenders who formed part of the second-best defence in the country last season. Furthermore, despite their problems this time around, Chelsea have actually conceded the fewest goals of any Premier League team this term.
All of which suggests that it is up front where things have gone pear-shaped. This is strange in itself considering that the Blues were by far and away the highest scorers last term, amassing a staggering 103 league goals. After 26 matches this campaign they have managed just 46 - 11 fewer than top-scoring Manchester United.
There is a very good reason for this: Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba have been missing for much of the season. Drogba scored 29 league goals last season and Lampard 22 - a scary return for a midfielder - as Chelsea stormed to the title, but this year malaria has clearly debilitated the striker, who is so dependent on his physical strength for his goals (he has mustered nine in the league this season), while Lampard's long-standing groin problem has reduced him to 11 Premier League starts and a measly three goals. The Blues have effectively lost 50% of their firepower.
Lampard wasn't particularly missed at the start of the season (he was injured after the first three games of the campaign) because Ancelotti's men had such a benign fixture list. When the England midfielder was first sidelined the Blues still battered West Ham, Zilina and Blackpool and then overcame an understrength Arsenal side missing Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie.
But once the tougher sides began to present themselves the miserable run of results began. Lampard's energy and goals were sorely lacking, and not even the return of Michael Essien, who missed the second half of last season but has been a shadow of his former self since, could compensate.
Worse still for Chelsea is that since Lampard's return, they have shown little sign of reversing the trend. They have won as many matches in those 12 games as they have lost (four), which suggests that either tactics are wrong or confidence is shot. Either way, Chelsea are now fifth in the league worth laying at [1.46] to finish in the Top Four.
And finishing fifth will constitute a disaster for Abramovich, who is desperate for European glory, and possibly also Chelsea. The Russian's money has bought everything else there is worth winning in the game but who knows whether he will be prepared to stick around for another season, especially if it means having to endure the comparative ignominy of Europa League football.
The season after next UEFA's Fair Play regulations won't even permit the sort of wanton spending that has taken place to date, suggesting that Abramovich's holy grail is becoming evermore elusive. That is why the Chelsea owner has shelled out £50m for Fernando Torres; the house is winning and so he has placed one last mammoth gamble on Red 9.
But Torres isn't the answer. Chelsea need a creative midfielder. Someone to unlock defences and create chances for the likes of Drogba and Nicolas Anelka, who have too often been burdened with taking on the burden of goal-making. And the irony is they already have one. Josh McEachran may not be 18 for another nine days, but he is exactly what Chelsea have been crying out for this season. A player who is comfortable in possession and blessed with great vision, Ancelotti should have given him more than a paltry six run-outs as a substitute this season. If he had, Chelsea might not be in this mess in the first place.
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