Abramovich’s money again makes a difference for Chelsea, but with the club now on sale, for how long?
LUTON, UK – Appropriately enough, ChelseaMoney in the end made all the difference. Confirmed Roman Abramovich will sell The Blues arrives about an hour before the start of the match, during which the Town of Luton threatens to show them how far they can fall without the financial influence of their owners.
Twice the champions took the lead, first thanks to a second-minute header from Reece Burke and then again Saul NiguezHarry Cornick’s equalizer came up clearly to finish coldly in the past Kepa Arrizabalaga. The game was in Chelsea’s favor in the second half, however, with substitute players’ assistance Christian Pulisic, Harvey Vale and Reece James like the first time Timo Werner scored before switching providers to Romelu Lukaku to slide to the winner’s house for 12 minutes for safety 3-2 . win.
Werner and Lukaku, valued at more than £150m plus transfer fees, the latter signed last summer in a club-record deal that will now rank as the final act in long-distance spending flowers under Abramovich have totaled more than £2 billion since he bought the west London outfit in 2003.
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Chelsea’s wealth leaves them largely impervious to FA Cup shocks. During Abramovich’s 19 years in charge, only twice have they lost to a lower division in the competition: a 4-2 defeat to Bradford City in League One in 2015 and a comeback against Barnsley of the Championship in 2015. 2008.
Amid the uncertainty over their future ownership, Chelsea have rarely felt this vulnerable, and much of the 10,140 fans at Kenilworth Road won’t let them forget it. “You’ll sell in the morning,” cheered Luton’s delighted fans from the away field, erecting a banner declaring the pitch a “Champion of the World” in recognition of the Club World victory. Cup last month.
Abramovich’s ownership helps to bring a sharper focus to the blur of sports and politics.
Although he has repeatedly denied any connection to Russian President Putin, the timing and haste of the decision to sell him comes amid widespread condemnation of the Kremlin and anyone involved. regarding their invasion. Ukraine reaching unprecedented proportions. All four corner flags were changed to the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag while larger versions were scattered around the crowd and every chant of “Roman Abramovich” from the defiant support of The audience was greeted with boos or worse.
“Dirty Russian bastard,” Luton fans sang. “We won it all,” Chelsea’s last reply. “You bought it all,” countered.
The good news for coach Thomas Tuchel is that historically this will be the kind of poor performance that raises questions about a head coach’s long-term future in light of what Abramovich is ready to share with the coaches. management in the past. Instead, he faces another post-match investigation that focuses on his employer’s future.
“It’s a little early for me to say,” Tuchel said. “It’s big news but I can only think about Chelsea with Roman Abramovich. It’s hard for me, it hasn’t sunk in yet, this is a big change.
“We only focused on preparing for sport but maybe some players were affected more than others and we ended up trying to focus more and develop on the game before finding the key to it. win.
“I don’t think I need to talk about that with the players. I’m not the CEO. I’m not a member of the board and I’m very sure the club will talk to it. us and my players.” I’m pretty sure some member of the board will talk to us to clarify the situation. “
Midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek They started out in an experimental position at centre-back with ball possession, but what they got from their intelligence in possession, they lost defensive stability without it. However, Loftus-Cheek showed the benefits of playing in that role, helping to turn the tide, delivering a superb pass for Werner to equalize.
Luton have made some changes on their own as they continue to close their eyes for promotion from the Championship – they are in sixth place – and Chelsea’s greater resources and fitness spoke for themselves when Lukaku dropped out. their blushes. He has been signed at great expense to tackle more important occasions than this, but for now, sentimental Chelsea fans want Abramovich’s money to last any way possible.
