We’ve been here before as champs turn into chumps
IS THIS Jose Mourinho all over again for Chelsea and Antonio Conte?
The Special One won the title in May and was sacked before Christmas in a scenario no one would ever have predicted two seasons ago.
And on a crazy day at Stamford Bridge yesterday titlewinner Conte saw his champions humbled by a Burnley side who would willingly settle for just survival this season.
Okay, Chelsea played 70 minutes with 10 men and the last 12 minutes with only nine after Gary Cahill was shown a straight red 13 minutes in and Cesc Fabregas was dismissed late on for two yellows.
They staged a gutsy secondhalf fightback too that had their shell-shocked fans believing a 3-3 draw was possible after falling 0-3 behind to Burnley.
But the day ended disastrously for Conte’s side who were a shambles in a first half where they lost Cahill and all semblance of a team who ruled this division last season.
Whispers of Conte’s unrest
And the startling manner in which Sean Dyche’s Burnley stripped away Chelsea’s aura of invincibility in that opening half doesn’t bode well for Conte’s hopes of breaking that cycle.
In fact, as the roof began to cave in on Chelsea’s opening game of their title defence the bookies shifted their odds to make the Italian 7-2 favourite for the first Premier League boss to be sacked this season. the assist for David Luiz to make it 2- 3 an impossible comeback looked on the cards.
It wasn’t to be despite some late near misses and Chelsea were left to regret a shocking first-half collapse after Cahill was sent off for a studs-up lunge on Steven Defour.
Losing a player is always tough at this level, but Chelsea’s surrender was inexcusable and maybe one departed Nemanja Matic might have helped prevent.
Instead, Chelsea completely lost their shape and composure as Sam Vokes turned in a Matt Lowton cross before Stephen Ward made it 2- 0 with a screaming volley from Jack Cork’s lifted pass.
Vokes completed the firsthalf rout with a towering header from Defour’s cross with Chelsea’s defence criminally AWOL.
The goals had Tony Blair’s former PR strategist and Burnley fan Alastair Campbell yelling joyously in the press box.
But even Campbell’s skills would be stretched trying to spin Conte’s openingday performance into anything
positive.