Chelsea would be mad to sack Conte, but how long will he put up with the negligence?

With the start of 2016-17, last season’s misery and tediousness seemed to be a thing of the past, the new manager being the answer to whip back into shape a squad that had won the league not long ago.

Introduce discipline and a few new signings to bolster the ranks, and Chelsea may not be a title-winning side just yet, but it would be sufficient to churn out the results necessary each week to finish in the top four and regain a spot in Europe.

It started brightly enough, with wins in the first three matches that were largely convincing, as well as entertaining.

The wool was over few of our eyes, though – it was far from perfect, and there was still work to be done in several areas. The matches against Bristol Rovers and Swansea City left us with doubt, and there are plenty of questions that need answering: Should Cesc Fabregas be playing? What to do about our very leaky defence, or Conte’s stubborn inability to make substitutions before it’s too late for them to make a real difference?

Back-to-back defeats, against Liverpool and Arsenal, have seen the Blues drop to eighth in the Premier League – Photo: Mark Leech / Offside.

The true test came with Liverpool’s trip to the Bridge: a viable top four contender, a strong, well-performing, if slightly erratic, side. As no Chelsea fan needs reminding, the result was horrifyingly embarrassing, the display equally so.

The same uninspiring players took to the pitch against Leicester midweek and went 2-0 down with no difficulty, thankfully mustering up the competency – with the much-welcomed introduction of Fabregas – to turn it around and win.

And then, of course, Arsenal last weekend, where not one player bar Diego Costa turned up. Chelsea made them look world class, resulting in humiliation in the likes of which had not been experienced at the hands of our North London neighbours since 2011.

This recent turn of events points to problems larger than tactics or matters of the pitch; ones that, unfortunately, Chelsea supporters are no strangers to, at a club whose carefully shrouded board moves all the pieces from behind the scenes.

Chelsea have privileged from a highly-invested owner for over a decade as Roman Abramovich has generously sustained the club’s steady evolution, funding top players, state-of-the-art training facilities, a comprehensive academy system and a renovated stadium in Chelsea’s rightful home. But that same gift is also Chelsea’s Achilles’ heel.

Abramovich has surrounded himself by board members who haven’t got ample understanding of football to conduct operations directly related to on-pitch activity. It’s not enough for Roman, as a fan himself, to care about the club, or for the board to be comprised of savvy businessmen. If the major focus is to profit financially, yet there is simultaneously the need to maintain power and control and the constant pressure for silverware, then success in the game will suffer.

He must bring in those with the qualifications and the credence to make footballing decisions. The balance between profitability, development and winning must be established, not just now, but for the future.

Chelsea need to institute a system of continuity not only with managers or players, but in carrying out a long-term vision. If not, they risk going the way of United or Liverpool – content to not be in Europe or realistically competing at the top – or Arsenal, who have grown too comfortable with their mediocrity.

Chelsea cannot fail in replacing key players (central either because of their talent or their leadership), as they have since 2012, if not earlier. As fiscally profitable as our transfer windows have been, it is undeniable that we are not getting our first choice transfer targets.

Conte – Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.

In an attempt to deter those clubs trying to extort us, we miss out on the top players we so desperately need, and then turn around and spend that same amount on second choice panic buys anyway, as evidenced by the club chasing Kalidou Koulibaly, then ending up with David Luiz and Marcos Alonso.

Antonio Conte needs time to grow accustomed to the club’s demands and policies, and at this stage cannot fully be held accountable.

It is not the manager’s doing that countless products of Chelsea’s academy are out on loan, as per the club’s latest strategy; and while their recent resoluteness to not be exploited in the transfer market is financially commendable, if prospects like Koulibaly excel, then the price tag will soon be forgotten.

The club would be mad to sack Conte, now or at any point this season. He has been proven as a more than capable manager, and one that Chelsea can benefit from, but he certainly cannot be expected to solve all their problems in six weeks, particularly with an uncooperative board.

Then again, how long will Conte stand for this if it interferes with what he is trying to accomplish with his players? If the board neglect to get Conte what he wants, just as they did with Jose Mourinho, Chelsea will lose him as well.