WHERE ONCE it was the Galacticos it is now a bunch of B-Listers from Geneva.
Chelsea picked up the European baton after a season’s absence but in vastly different circumstances to when they dropped it.
In April 2023 Stamford Bridge staged a visit from Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter finals.
Chelsea lost 2-0 under interim boss Frank Lampard to opposition that included Luka Modric, Vinicius Jnr and Karim Benzema. So no disgrace.
Now they were back under the lights in midweek but on Thursday instead of Tuesday and facing FC Servette of Switzerland and their unknown squad.
Dereck Kutesa, Steve Rouiller and Bradley Mazikou formed part of the formidable line up of a team which lost its last league game 6-0 at home and is fifth in the Swiss first division.
The Europa Conference League is Chelsea’s new home, at least for a while – UEFA’s third-tier tournament that is many fathoms below the expectation levels of a club which has won the Champions League twice.
It’s so lowly that Servette had to LOSE to set up this game. Getting knocked out of a Europa League play off against Portugal’s Braga meant they rocked up at a ground which has played host to the greats of modern football in the not so distant past.
Yet it remains the only European trophy that Chelsea are yet to win and new head coach Enzo Maresca is no snob so wants to win it.
With nine changes to the starting line up from Sunday’s 2-0 home defeat by Manchester City, it wouldn’t be an easy transition from the spirited performance against the Premier League champions.
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Debuts for Jorgensen and Tosin Adarabioyo, first starts for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Pedro Neto and striker Marc Guiu.
Guiu missed two absolute sitters to round off his first game at the Bridge.
Latest signing Joao Felix received a rousing welcome when paraded on the pitch before kick off.
A player who spent six months here before, getting sent off on his debut and eventually scoring four goals before his loan ended received a rousing reception which was over the top.
Even the team sheets were odd with the correct names of the players but with defender Axel Disasi the first name in the Blues’ line up – the spot normally reserved for the goalkeeper.
With so many new faces it wouldn’t be that much of a shock to find total strangers wandering into the wrong positions but recent arrival Filip Jorgensen was correctly between the sticks for kick off.
And luckily so because he was called upon after just 13 minutes to stand up tall and block a ferocious shot by Kutesa from inside the box.
The PA man declared ‘it doesn’t get much better than Thursday nights under the lights at Stamford Bridge’ – which would have been laughed at here not that long ago. But it’s the new normal.
Mind you, there was a full house and the fans were up for it, with a solid noise level emanating from three and three quarters of the ground right from the off.
It was a bit like old times with the noise and it must have been a while since many of those present had last been in, as the first player chant which struck up after half an hour was the famous anthem about Willian’s hatred of Tottenham.
The Brazilian winger left four years ago but with the amount of chopping and changing going in this team, he could well be the last familiar face to the punters in these parts.
Every game is a strange experience at Chelsea right now. Unfamiliar atmospheres and performances.
Mykhailo Mudryk still has no polish to add to his pace. There seems little cohesion from the players that have been here for a while now. New head coach Enzo Maresca wants time to work his magic.
But they won, via the penalty spot when Christopher Nkunku was brought down in the box on 50 minutes and from sub Noni Madueke’s rifled shot in the 76th.
Go through from next week’s second leg and it’s the group stage. Win the Europa Conference League this season and it’s the Europa League next year.
Win that and Real Madrid could be back at Stamford Bridge by 2026.
