The Serb, the only bright spot in the turmoil of the European giant
2 min readAfter another shocking defeat, Chelsea’s chances of qualifying for Europe at the end of the season have significantly decreased. This season, Chelsea has played 23 matches in the Premier League and currently occupies 11th place with 31 points.
Despite spending a billion euros on reinforcements in the past year and a half, the team continues to embarrass itself. Changes in coaches have seemingly not brought any results, as Mauricio Pochettino, following Frank Lampard and Graham Potter, has also failed to deliver the expected outcomes for the management and fans.
He arrived at Chelsea in a transfer worth 14 million euros and made his debut on December 10, stepping in for the injured Robert Sanchez in the match against Everton. Before that, he conceded as many goals as the number of matches played, but also managed to keep a clean sheet on two occasions.
“I would like to express special thanks to Djordje Petrovic. Over the past few weeks, he has faced more shots than any goalkeeper would like and has been excellent.
Top goalkeeper, top reinforcement,” read one of the messages from delighted fans that surfaced on social media after the match against Liverpool. In 2021, he moved to New England.
Following outstanding performances in the MLS, there were reports of interest from major clubs, including Manchester United, but Chelsea was more persistent. Djordje has made two appearances for the Serbian national team in friendlies, debuting against the Dominican Republic in 2021 and then playing against the United States last January.
In recent national team call-ups, he was included in Dragan Stojkovic’s squad. There are speculations that Pochettino lacks confidence in the players, and although no one from the dressing room has publicly spoken out, it might have been implied by Isabel Silva, the wife of the experienced Thiago Silva.
She often writes about Chelsea on Instagram, where she has 716,000 followers, and recently posted the following message: “It’s time for change… If you wait too long, sometimes it’s too late.”
Many interpreted this as an appeal for Pochettino’s departure. The management, led by Todd Boehly, brought in the Argentine as a long-term project, but a similar situation existed with Potter, who managed Chelsea for 31 matches.
Lampard, a club legend, spent less than two months on the team’s bench, and Pochettino’s match against Wolves was his 31st, raising curiosity about how much longer he will last compared to his predecessors.