What we learnt : Manchester City 4-0 Chelsea – Crisis continues for Graham Potter

With as many as 9 first team players out injured, a much-changed Chelsea team which included debutant Bashir Humphreys got bashed 4 goals to nil by Manchester City in the Emirates FA Cup.

Here are 3 lessons learnt as City advance in the FA Cup :

Massive Re-build urgently needed :

A team worn thin by injuries and loss of form to key players, it is no longer an hidden fact that Chelsea are in need for a thorough “Re-build”. The club need to move away from short term planning and back the manager they trusted to oversee the cultural change at Chelsea. Players on the wrong end of 30, players being inconsistent, ecessive injuries to key players and the attitude of certain indviduals are cogent reasons as to why a massive revamp needs to take place, starting this month.

Jorginho, Koulibaly (Even if he only just joined), Azpilicueta, Aubameyang, Ziyech and Pulisic just to name a few are all players that should have their status as a Chelsea player severely under consideration by the board and with a major part of the January transfer window still left, it remains to see if the rebuilding process could be fast-tracked even more.

Youngsters receive valuable Exposure :

Bashir Humphreys, Lewis Hall and Omari Hutchinson, all recent graduates of the Academy got important minutes under their belt as Graham Potter opted for the exposure of youth players.

Humphreys and Lewis Hall both started while Hutchinson came on for Ziyech on the 63rd minute.
Partnering Koulibaly in the centre of the defence, Bashir had a decent game with a tackle success rate of 100% while also wininng all 4 of his ground duels however he did not look like a player that is ready to become a first team regular.

Hall, who started off at left back, completed the most dribbles in the game with 2 while having a pass accuracy of 95%. Hutchinson coming on as a sub seemed shaky with a couple of hard first touches while turning back from one-v-one situations a couple of times.

With “Re-build” the present mantra of the team, it is expected that the youngsters get more opportunities as the season progresses and so they should, they show more care and fight than many first team regulars do.

Should Gallagher’s energy make up for his lack Of definite role In the team?

Energy, fight and intensity are Gallagher’s trademark but a major problem persists with his lack of a defined role in Potter’s set-up. Playing the full 90 mins today, Gallagher played as a wing-back, Defensive and attacking midfielder. All in one game.

Conor had a mixed display, he (Won most duels with (6) and lost most duels with (7) while also recording most tackles with 4. Gallagher’s constant shuffling across the pitch remains a huge concern as he seeks to get to grips with the coach’s tactics.

Having a defined role is sure to help Gallagher a lot more but how many minutes will he get this season as he is another player into the massive pool of individuals at this club who show massive signs of inconsistency?

Certainly a disappointing showing and there wasn’t a player worthy to be man of the match, the season is long and Chelsea fans should be prepared for it to get worse before it gets better, especially with key difference makers still sidelined.

Next up for Chelsea is a huge game against fellow West Londoners, Fulham on Thursday.