The cracks are starting to appear at Chelsea, more chaos feels inevitable as we head to the summer

Chelsea are out of the Champions League. They are 12 points off the top in the Premier League. There is a lot of uncertainty around the club and the general mood could best be described as tense.

The atmosphere is reminiscent of the other Roman Abramovich-era Chelsea meltdowns of 2007, 2009, 2012, 2015 or even 2021, but, no, it is 2022. You may have missed it, but we’re nicely entering Phase 2 of what this writer likes to call 'The Chelsea Chaos Cycle'. A three-stage process guaranteed to result in carnage.

Ad/> Phase 1 is when a new manager comes in and lifts the gloom from the previous regime, maybe they get a shiny new player or introduce a new tactic. Success usually follows in one of the myriad of competitions Chelsea find themselves in and Stamford Bridge is a happy place to be. Pundits and fans talk about a dynasty being created.

More on Phase 3 later. TransfersRudiger decision looms amid battle between European giants — Paper RoundYESTERDAY AT 22:34 Then we enter Phase 2, where we are now. In this phase the winning is still there but it gradually gets less and less consistent.

There is without doubt an inexplicably heavy defeat against a team further down the league, often at home. Players start giving cryptic interviews and both players and managers call on the fans to make Stamford Bridge more of a fortress and boost the atmosphere. The fans will often respond here and there, but will quickly turn when the losses and frustrating draws pile up.