Here are a few of the headlines from pieces I've written about Chelsea over the past 12 months:
- Chelsea have spent nearly a billion euros in one year. How?
- Analyzing all 28 Chelsea signings since Boehly took over
- Chelsea still don't know how to build a Premier League team
That's just a sampling, and it doesn't include the various potshots I've taken at the new ownership group in other pieces that weren't specifically about Chelsea. It would seem, then, that I owe Todd Boehly, Behdad Eghbali, and everyone else at the club an apology.
Twelve matches into this season, Chelsea have scored more goals and conceded fewer goals than Manchester City, and they're tied on points with Arsenal. There was supposed to be a Big Three in the Premier League this season, and Chelsea were supposed to be the big-spending laughingstock that couldn't come close to that level. Instead, they've been just as good, if not better, than the top two from each of the past two seasons.
Chelsea are, undeniably, playing at a high level once again. Does this mean Boehly and Clearlake's tension-filled team-building strategy has worked? I'm still not so sure.