In the summer transfer window half a season ago, Chelsea caused an uproar when they abruptly showed Ancelotti the door.
That single move plunged Chelsea into nearly half a season of storms and struggles!
Ancelotti was a tactical master—
And also a born leader in the dressing room.
Back in his playing days, he had been one of Milan's championship heroes.
His teammates at the time were none other than the legendary Dutch trio.
His opponents? The king of football himself—Diego Maradona!
Though his coaching career saw heartbreak, like the infamous "Night of Istanbul," Ancelotti's persuasive player résumé, combined with his unique coaching style and personality, allowed him to unexpectedly stabilize Chelsea's dressing room last season.
Chelsea's dressing room has always been notoriously hard to manage—an open secret in the Premier League.
After dismissing Ancelotti, Portuguese manager André Villas-Boas took the helm.
From that moment, Chelsea fell into a full half-season of locker-room chaos!
"As soon as Villas-Boas took over, the first thing he did was take aim at the Blues' veteran heroes!"
"He tried to strip Terry and Lampard of their influence within the squad, thinking it would cement his own authority as manager!"
"But in doing so, he touched Chelsea's reverse scale—the one thing you must never provoke!"
Lampard, Drogba, Terry—
The core veterans of the Blues drew a clear line between themselves and Villas-Boas.
A dressing-room coup erupted inside Chelsea, leaving the football world stunned!
In the final round of the Champions League group stage just days ago, Terry and Lampard even refused to play.
Ahead of the 18th round Premier League clash with Arsenal, West London media tried to dig up inside news about the Blues' locker room.
They came up empty-handed.
Chelsea's mouthpieces could only feel disappointment.
They could hardly imagine—
With the club in such turmoil—
What kind of unsettling performance Chelsea would show when facing Kai's Arsenal.
Even worse—
After 17 rounds, Chelsea sat only sixth in the Premier League table.
Not even in the Europa League qualification zone.
At this rate, the Blues' season could hit their worst mid-season record in years!
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich finally decided enough was enough.
He issued an ultimatum:
If, before the mid-season break, Villas-Boas failed to rally the squad's morale—
Or if Chelsea lost at Stamford Bridge to Arsenal—
Then when the winter transfer window opened, Villas-Boas would be gone!
Chelsea fans erupted in fury:
"Why wait until now? Villas-Boas is a snake who's been splitting the squad—how has he lasted half a season as our manager?"
"Being Mourinho's apprentice doesn't mean he can control Chelsea's dressing room like Mourinho could!"
"Before he became manager, he was friends with the players—but his vanity got the better of him. The moment he got the job, he started trying to throw his weight around!"
"Ignoring the club's decorated veterans? That's just brainless!"
"If we lose to Arsenal before the half-season mark, we could even fall below Everton into seventh place!"
Chelsea supporters were restless.
If they lost to Arsenal in two days' time, they would drop to seventh—
Their most humiliating mid-season position in recent years!
Time flew by.
Three days later—
December 23rd—
The 18th round of the Premier League arrived!
Arsenal traveled to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
All of English football buzzed with anticipation.
The Arsenal team bus slowly rolled into West London.
To their surprise, the usually united and passionate Chelsea supporters were nowhere to be seen before the match.
The streets and alleys of West London were eerily quiet, with few fans wearing the Blues' colors.
"Looks like Chelsea's problems this season run deeper than we thought."
"Even their die-hards don't want to stir things up before the game!"
Rice looked out at the silent West London, surprised.
For Arsenal, this was good news.
If they could take Stamford Bridge without breaking a sweat, it would be the perfect chance to save energy for their four-front campaign.
As the bus drew nearer to Stamford Bridge, West London gradually came alive.
Almost as if on cue, fans in Chelsea blue poured out from every corner, flooding toward the stadium.
Just before kickoff, West London media released a breaking update—
Chelsea manager Villas-Boas…
Under mounting pressure, he finally swallowed his pride.
Villas-Boas compromised with several of the club's decorated veterans!
Tonight, Chelsea's key veteran stars would all return to the pitch.
The Blues were ready to launch a fierce stand at Stamford Bridge against Arsenal!
Feeling the stadium's atmosphere roar back to life,
Kai led the Arsenal squad into the fortress city of Chelsea supporters.
"We're going to take the half-season title with a perfect record!"
"Tonight, we'll show the Blues who truly rules London!"
At his words, the Arsenal players burst into high spirits.
"The captain's right! We conquered North London—now it's West London's turn!"
"We are the kings of London!"
"We'll take the half-season title undefeated—we're making history!"
Tonight's Premier League Round 18 clash with Arsenal
was without question Chelsea's make-or-break half-season match.
If they lost—
They would set the worst mid-season record in club history.
The fallout wouldn't just be Villas-Boas packing his bags.
Chelsea itself would be nailed to the pillar of shame,
hammered by relentless fan and media criticism.
Before kickoff, though, Blues supporters breathed a sigh of relief.
Villas-Boas had bowed his head to the veterans.
That meant Lampard, Drogba, Terry, and other Chelsea stalwarts
would not boycott the match tonight—
They would start and fight Arsenal head-on!
Without these veterans holding the line,
Chelsea fans could hardly imagine
how badly they might struggle against Kai's surging Arsenal.
Under the West London night,
as the clock ticked past 7:30 p.m.,
the roar inside Stamford Bridge swelled to a terrifying crescendo.
When the starting lineups were announced, Chelsea fans fully relaxed.
"The veterans who were caught up in the dressing-room feud are back in the starting XI!"
"Captain Terry returns to lead the Blues' back line!"
"Lampard is back in the spotlight—tonight he'll lead Chelsea's midfield into a fierce duel with Kai!"
"Up front, Drogba returns to start!"
Though the lineup was filled with aging stars,
its strength was still formidable—
The backbone of Mourinho's championship side from years past.
If not for the internal strife, Chelsea's season would never have been so poor.
The commentators analyzed before the match.
Many Chelsea fans felt a pang of regret for this season's Blues.
Under Ancelotti,
even if Chelsea ended the season trophyless,
they still showed strong competitiveness on all fronts.
But this year, with a dressing room in turmoil and constant power struggles,
Chelsea stumbled on every front.
At Stamford Bridge,
the home fans' passionate chants echoed through the stands.
When the two teams emerged from the tunnel,
Kai and Terry led Arsenal and Chelsea onto the pitch.
The roar reached its peak!
"Terry, Lampard—lead the Blues back to glory!"
"We need this win so badly! We can't lose again—we must win!"
"Topple Arsenal! Don't let them take the half-season title undefeated!"
"Lampard, this is your chance to prove yourself again!"
Chelsea fans remembered Kai all too well.
Last season, with Crystal Palace,
he had stormed Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup knockout stage,
pulling off a dramatic comeback to eliminate the Blues.
This season, his momentum was even greater—
leading Arsenal to an astonishing unbeaten run.
Chelsea supporters were worried.
Lampard was their only real hope.
This was a battle of midfield generals!
From the touchline, the coaches' benches sat under a constant drizzle of boos from the home stands.
Villas-Boas's expression was grim.
For a manager to be booed by his own fans before kickoff—
it was almost unheard of.
In just half a season, Villas-Boas had turned this once iron-blooded Chelsea into a complete mess.
Now, with the first half of the league nearly over,
he had no choice left tonight.
~~----------------------
Patreon Advance Chapters:
[email protected] / Dreamer20