22 January 2024 , 16:12
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Former Chelsea star Pat Nevin has branded Stamford Bridge a "mausoleum" as he hit out at the atmosphere created by Blues fans.
The club has endured a torrid time on the pitch over the past two years, going through three managers despite spending an eye-watering amount in the transfer market. They currently find themselves ninth in the table under Mauricio Pochettino.
While Pochettino would have hoped to find comfort in the cup competitions, they lost the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final to Middlesbrough. Chelsea host the second leg of the tie on Tuesday, trailing the Championship side 1-0.
And Nevin holds little hope that the home crowd will be able to inspire their side to a comeback. Instead, the former winger has insisted that the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge has fallen flat in recent times.
"Last week I was at Sunderland v Newcastle, then Middlesbrough v Chelsea and then Newcastle v Manchester City," Nevin wrote in a newsletter for BBC Sport this week.
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"For those unaware of the geography, these games were all in cities in the north east of England at big clubs who are passionately supported, are steeped in football, but who rarely win major trophies. There are only five in the last 68 years between the three of them, ouch!
"If there were awards for the quality of the atmosphere however, each would be Champions League contenders. It is very noticeable how different the atmosphere is at various top grounds in England just now.
Former Blues star Pat Nevin does not hold out hope the Chelsea crowd can inspire a win over Middlesbrough (Stu Forster/Getty Images)"My beloved Chelsea at Stamford Bridge regularly has the matchday atmosphere of a mausoleum on a rainy Monday. Quite fitting as there is a cemetery just behind the main stand.
"It seems to take a lot to get Chelsea and Manchester United fans stirred at the moment, but the passion will hopefully come back if and when they ever get back to the top table of the game. The problem is, it doesn’t look imminent for either."
Despite Nevin's doubts, Pochettino believes that the crowd can play a huge role on Tuesday night. He is fully aware of the importance of the game to his side's season following a campaign of struggles.
"It’s a passport to go to a final, to visit Wembley. It’s a really important game for us and we need to show it’s important for the club, for us, for everyone. We want to be in the final but first we need to beat a very good team that in the first leg we couldn’t beat," he said.
"Of course, it’s going to be tough, but we are confident that we can have a very good game against Middlesbrough in front of our fans. We need to take advantage of playing at Stamford Bridge with all the energy that will translate from our fans.
"We felt very disappointed after that game. But we have 90 minutes to fix the situation and win. We will respect the opponent because they are going to be tough. But it’s a massive chance for us to have a possibility to go to the final and fight for a title."