EPL: 5 Reasons Why AVB's Chelsea Hasn't Clicked This Season

2011-2012 has so far been a tough, frustrating season for Chelsea fans. For the first time in the Roman Abramovich era, the West-Londoners have already been dumped out of the title race and it remains to be seen whether the Blues can qualify for the Champions League.

Reports of a training ground rumble between Villas-Boas and his players further implies a crisis situation at Stamford Bridge, a spectacle that Blues fans are not used to in recent years. 

So, how could a club, often so consistent and established like Chelsea be so disappointing this year?

Why has the promise that came along with Villas-Boas be decimated into continuous disagreements and arguments with players? 

Here are five reasons why. 

Aging Squad

Chelsea currently have the fourth oldest squad in the Premier League, with an average age of 27.58 years. Although Villas-Boas has tried to bring young players like Daniel Sturridge, Oriel Romeu and Romelu Lukaku into the squad, Chelsea's first team is still fielded with players like Malouda, Bosingwa and Drogba—aging players who look well past their prime.

In fact, the club's roster still remains very similar to the team that won their Premiership title under Jose Mourinho. The fact that Chelsea is so relient on players over 30 (as Frank Lampard continues to prove) is not good for the squad, who are competing with teams that have much younger players.

Although experience can be good for a squad, teams that have a mix generally do perform much better. Because younger players are so much faster and fitter than older ones, Chelsea are already going into these matches with a disadvantage. The fact that Chelsea are competing for the top four with much younger teams (Man Utd's average age is 25, Man City's is 25 and Arsenal's is 24) further proves this. 

Strikers Can't Score

Chelsea this season have lost that finishing edge in its attack, a crucial trait that once made the Blues so lethal. Out of the 25 Premier League games this season, Chelsea's strike force has only scored a meager 14 goals.

Players like Rooney, Van Persie and Yakubu have already scored more goals singly, than Torres, Sturridge and Drogba have combined. All this is contrary to previous seasons when Anelka and Drogba used to rip up defenses and dominate the top-scorers table.

In fact, with the exception of Daniel Sturridge, Chelsea's midfielders—Lampard, Mata and Ramires—have all scored more goals than the likes of Torres and Drogba. With an attack so incapable of scoring goals, it's no surprise that Chelsea will find themselves coming up short, even when they face mediocre sides. 

Although, with that said, Chelsea do have a bright spark in Daniel Sturridge, but more on that later. 

Midfield Lacks Steel

Chelsea's midfield used to be the envy of the league. Teams all over the EPL used to dread the thought of facing Michael Essien & co. as the Blues' midfield would drive everyone in circles as they dominated the game.

Now, however, things are very different. Chelsea struggle to get a grip of the match and now their midfielders are the ones that are left running around in circles. Their inability to clasp control of the midfield game was clearly evident against Man United when 3-0 up and at home, Essien & co. failed to slow the game down and gain the upper-hand, thus Man United took advantage of this and drew 3-3. 

Although he draws comparisons to Makelele and the two have a similar physicality, Ramires often looks too weak in the club hero's position and fails to be the same dominant work horse that the Frenchmen was in the Blues squad.

Essien, who once led the Blues' immortal midfield, is only just back from injury and is looking miles away from the bulky supreme midfield general that won African player of the year.

With Ramires injured, Essien looking unfit and the youthful Romeu looking far too inexperienced, things aren't looking very good in Chelsea's engine room. 

Torres No Longer Torres

I know I already have a slide about Chelsea's strikers, but the demise of Fernando Torres has grown to such an extent that the Spaniard is now not only hurting himself, but the entire Chelsea team.

I do feel sorry for Nando'—whenever the Spaniard runs on the pitch, its almost as if he's carrying a giant 50 million pound price tag on his back. As each game goes by and with his strike ratio continuing to dwindle, this burden grows a little heavier. 

Villas-Boas inherited this depressed golden locked Spaniard and, because Torres cost so much, the Portuguese is more or less forced to play him. And now, with each game gone by the Spaniard grows in self doubt and distrust of himself.

Thus, with the dejected Spaniard as his attacking talisman, Villas-Boas will just not please any one. The whole Chelsea team cannot rely on Torres at all. Their No. 9 at times even looks scared to receive the ball for fear of even more judgement by fans and on lookers.

The sports sections of newspapers continue to feature the Spaniard with some critical headline, arms on his hips, staring blankly and frustratingly out into open space, almost as if he's reminiscing about the good times and his former life with Rafa Benitez (take a hint and look up). 

The Chelsea team will continue to question Villas-Boas' inclusion of Torres in his squad and that will frustrate them, especially when they already have a dashing young striker in the form of Daniel Sturridge. Out of the three strikers AVB has, two are proving to be utterly useless, however Sturridge continues to plead and out perform his more experienced counter-parts.

What makes it even more astonishing is that Sturridge is doing this while he's playing on the wing. With nine goals in 17 games, Sturridge has already scored three times as many goals as his Spanish counter-part-in less appearances, so surely when this boy plays as a striker in the middle, he'll do even better.

Torres, on the other hand, can only look back in anger and frustration of how bad his career in Blue has gotten. It even makes me cry, watching the former Fernando scoring effortlessly in a Liverpool shirt and seeing him fumble and trip over himself in the Chelsea blue. Just imagine what it must feel like when your him. 

Lack of Leadership

I don't think anyone would have ever thought that a 32-year old would be able to take charge of any Premier League club, albeit Chelsea. Yet, along came Andres Villas-Boas, a handsome young Portuguese man who was on the back of an undefeated season with Porto.

His arrival brought as much hope, as doubt with the Portuguese's experience put into serious question. And now it seems as if there is more doubt than hope. 

Villas-Boas has, on more than one occasion, clashed with the Chelsea squad. I'm sure the players often question the Portuguese's decisions as he is so similar to their age. Thus, the lack of control AVB has on his players. Although the Chelsea manager is a stubborn man, this only leads to an even bigger clash of heads and, on Sunday, I'm sure that all built up into one messy encounter. 

Another issue that is often put into question with AVB is his relationship with Abramovich. Sure, the owner paid 10 million to get him out of Porto as a reflection of his faith in AVB. Nevertheless, it is still the same power hungry Russian in charge and Roman would like to get his way about 100 percent of the time.

It is his club after all.

So it must be tough for Villas-Boas to manage under him. One doesn't know where to draw the line in this relationship with the owner. Given Villas-Boas' age, one would think that Abramovich would use him as his puppet, but AVB has turned out to be much more stubborn than that, so perhaps the relationship is a bit stuffy if not sour. 

Don't forget, the club also have a controversial captain in the form of John Terry, an alleged racist. With many black players in the Chelsea squad, I'm sure there is now an air of awkwardness and divide in the Stamford Bridge dressing room. So, even at player the lack of leadership is evident. 

We all know that the little Portuguese man has talent, he is a "special one." Just look back to his miracle season at Porto. But given these unfortunate circumstances, its hard to prove that.