The squad isn't very good, Eddie, that is the issue here. They were good a couple of seasons ago, but most other top sides have moved forward or improved and Chelsea has stagnated and is left with a roster where most of the key players, the difference makers, are past their best.
Unless I am seeing something not there, what is so good about Chelsea's roster? Ivanovic is average, Bosingwa rubbish, Luiz is absolutely terrible (can't believe the transfer fee this guy commanded), A.Cole is surely past his best and Terry is both overrated and past it. Gary Cahill was brought in in January, but purely based on this performances so far he is yet another in the long line of overrated English players who have moved to big clubs despite proving very little. And that is just their awful defense.
In midfield and up front, the only player of any class is Mata (and Sturridge) and neither have much of a supporting cast to work from. You could make a case for Essien but he has struggled with injury in the past two years. I don't need to mention the Torres mess. Am I missing something here?
You surely can't expect a young, relatively inexperienced manager to come in to a team that clearly needs rebuilding and demand instant success?
I am sure AVB has made some wrong decisions. His insistence on a high defensive line is one, but he clearly did need new personnel to fit that philosophy. IMO it is quite obvious that the problem lies with the players. The likes of Terry, Lampard, Drogba and Cole would be on pretty good wickets there and don't want to give it up easily. It is obvious there are a core of senior players at Chelsea who wield an unhealthy influence, if these players are not happy with the manager (Scolari's intensive training, AVB's 'tactics' i.e. dropping them) they have contributed greatly to him being sacked.
The reality is that United, City and even Tottenham have sides that are far superior on paper. For AVB to be in contention for the fourth spot is a decent achievement in his first year, IMO.
