Chelsea owners face moment of reckoning amid fan backlash

Hosting Tottenham head coach Roberto de Zerbi in Chelsea 's directors' box on Monday, ostensibly to scout his future opponents, went down poorly with sections of the fanbase. De Zerbi has a long‑standing relationship with Paul Winstanley and Sam Jewell from their time at Brighton , but Chelsea fans want to see their London rivals relegated - particularly with the prospect of inflicting damage themselves in a league match at Stamford Bridge in a fortnight. It was just one of the missteps that have compounded poor results, leaving fans feeling misunderstood and ignored. Since the Abramovich era, almost every player, senior executive and most behind-the-scenes football staff in the men's team have been replaced. Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea 's second head coach under BlueCo, told The Overlap podcast he left the club because they didn't match his "vision". He highlighted how the Blues prefer to look at data rather than human connection and "emotion". His replacement Enzo Maresca initially bought into that vision, but did not fully win over match-going supporters, despite claiming the Conference League and Club World Cup, and qualifying for the Champions League with a young squad in his only full season. He ultimately departed after a dispute encompassing transfers, his salary and what was perceived as medical department meddling in his use of players. …