With in form fierce London rivals Arsenal visiting Stamford Bridge for Lunch time kickoff on Sunday, only the most optimistic Chelsea fans would have staked on the Blues getting anything from the game. That did turn out to be the case as Chelsea cowardly lost 0-1 to Arsenal.
Here are 4 lessons learnt from the game :
✓ Potter absolutely Clueless :
It is without remorse that as many as those who watched the game against Arsenal can attest to the blues looking absolutely clueless and confused in possesion. Right from the lineup to the tactics deployed by the coaching staff, Chelsea looked all shades of being in a state of conundrum.
Potter adopting the same tactic as he deployed in the previous game against Zagreb, seemed to have lost the plot right from the first blast of the whistle as Arteta and Arsenal had full control for over 85 mins of the encounter as Chelsea struggled to keep the ball and string three progressive passes together,
Arsenal swarmed all over Chelsea and despite not being at their fluid best, the Gunners were undisputedly on top of the Blues and only poor decision making rescuer the Blues from receiving a hiding. With two games left to go before the winter World Cup break, Potter will hope to correct things with City up next in the Carabão cup.
✓ Kai Remains Lost In Attack
Following the switch by Potter to a front four of Kai, Sterling, Aubameyang and Mount, Potter positioned Kai just behind Aubameyang who spearheaded the attack in what many believe to be his favorite position as the No. “10”.
Kai’s languid stature made him look rather lackadaisical on the pitch at times and his poor awareness coupled with some loose touches made the German loose the ball countless times with his losses often a trigger for an Arsenal counterattack. Kai benefited from Chelsea’s most impressive passage of play when he was fed by Sterling down the right hand channel, loosely played an awful cross that went out for a throw-in when both Aubameyang and Mount made up options for the German in the box.
Despite wining both of his aerial duels and his only ground duel, Kai’s disappointing play in possession left many Chelsea fans and coaches frustrated.
✓ Jorginho and Azpi only bright Sparks
Despite Arsenal’s total dominance over Chelsea, two Chelsea players who remained diligent and fought hardest were the two captains (Azpi and Jorginho, vice captain) Azpilicueta started at right back facing up against Martinelli and the veteran’s intensity was sometimes unmatched by the young Brazilian winger who struggled to beat him. Defending astutely, Caesar Azpilicueta had a success tackle rate of 100% while having 80% success rate from his aerial duels.
Azpilicueta also recovered the ball four times while he ended the match without being dispossessed.
Jorginho on the other hand was the best player in blue as the Italian proved his worth in yet another big match. Playing as one of the double pivot utilized by Potter, Jorginho recovered the ball an astonishing 12 times while also boasting of a 100% success tackle rate.
Due to the team’s poor retention of the ball however, Jorginho’s influence dwindled greatly as he could only muster 67% accuracy on his passes while poorly registering 47% success rate on his long passes. Both stood tall amongst all in Blue and with the team in a rough patch presently, their influence in the dressing room will be greatly needed to turn this around.
✓ Sterling’s bad form, a worry or not?
What was supposed to be the marquee signing when the deal got announced, Raheem Sterling’s form since Graham Potter took charge has been nothing short of POOR.
Playing every area in attack (Left, right and Center), Potter remains clueless as to getting the best out of the England number 10.
Scoring in midweek against Zagreb deceived many to believing Sterling was close to being back to his best but the dismal performance here at the Bridge against Arsenal is certain to raise further questions as to whether Sterling is really worth keeping his place in the starting lineup.
Playing on the right of the attack, Sterling came against a familiar foe in his former City teammate, Zincheko but struggled to get any joy down his wing. Losing the ball at will and looking uncertain on the ball with limited options before him, Sterling constantly gave the ball away and with little effort put in recovering the ball, Sterling abysmally recorded a 23% success rate of his ground duels.
Contributing little to nothing in attack, Sterling completed only one of his 6 attempted dribbles and with the World Cup only a few days away, the worry isn’t for Chelsea fans alone but the whole of England as a nation as having an integral player as Sterling out of form posses a huge threat to England’s success on the world stage.
Man of The Match; Jorginho; 7/10
Next up for Chelsea is a Carabão cup tie against Manchester City in midweek.
