Chelsea have to stop this embarrassing performative nonsense of huddling around the centre spot before kick-off. Respect the ball? The only way to respect a football is to stick it in the opposition’s net. Which Chelsea failed to do in their 1-0 home defeat by Newcastle United.
Concentrate on that and not some childish gimmick that serves no purpose – beyond being a childish gimmick – and only motivates the other team more. And has made them a laughing stock.
Eighteen minutes after Tierney’s decision against Chelsea it was Newcastle and not them who scored. So that worked, didn’t it?
Tierney is also at fault but not as much as Chelsea. The referee wanted to make his point – was it worth it? – and it looked like he was taking a stance on behalf of the officials and not just himself.
If true, that will make it even more interesting when Liam Rosenior calls the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) to ask about Tierney’s behaviour and why the referee did not award Chelsea a penalty for an alleged foul by Nick Woltemade on Cole Palmer. Will he also mention the clearer penalty claim that was not awarded to Newcastle for Reece James wrestling Malick Thiaw?
The Chelsea head coach said Tierney should focus on the important things – which led to the immediate riposte that so should he and his players. Because the huddle is not working and only hardens the impression that this Chelsea set-up suffers from arrogance.
Apparently it was the idea of Willie Isa – Chelsea’s “culture architect” who was brought in from rugby league – along with the captain James and the so-called “leadership group” of players.
There is nothing wrong with doing a huddle, many teams do it, although quite why it cannot just happen in the dressing room before the game is another matter. But do it in your own half – not in the centre circle and not over the ball and not when it irritates the opposition and officials and distracts from the game.
“I want to protect my players and I’m respectful of the game,” Rosenior said as if what had happened was some huge miscarriage of justice that might cause genuine distress.
There was also the puzzling quote, one that will be thrown at Rosenior in future, of: “My players made a decision that they wanted to be around the ball, to respect the ball and show unity and leadership”.
“Respect the ball?” Unfortunately the ball was not available for interview, so we did not know whether it felt respected or not. Instead we had the comical – and arguably – disrespectful sight of Palmer wrapping his arm around Tierney and quizzically staring at him as Enzo Fernández and Trevoh Chalobah looked on in amusement. Cue a slew of memes.
This came moments before kick-off. So, here is a question for Rosenior. Did that episode mean that his players were focused and in the right frame of mind to start such a vital match in their fight to qualify for the Champions League? Judging by what then happened the answer was no. And that is on him. Not any cultural architect or leadership team.
This is not a reactionary view. Creating the right culture at a football club is essential to success. Every club needs to have its identity and its purpose. Similarly, a leadership group is a good idea because it gives the players a voice and a sense that they are being involved in the decision-making process.
But what Chelsea did was performative. It was for the cameras. It was a gimmick. There is no rational sense to it and we see, more and more, this kind of playing to the gallery as if it matters. But it is for effect. And it does not work.
There is one final point – and this one is about respect. What appears to have been lost among Chelsea’s protests is the fact that it was Newcastle’s kick-off. So Chelsea should have been nowhere near the ball and not even in the centre circle. Get out of the way and let the game begin. Do not claim a sense of injustice that leaves you open to criticism and leads to defeat.