For Chelsea followers, Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to Arsenal was troublesome to see for various causes.
The comedian self-inflicted objective was troublesome sufficient, however the hour of uninspired, lifeless soccer that adopted was painfully disappointing. Chelsea had nearly 70% of the ball and nonetheless did not likely handle to check Bernd Leno within the Arsenal objective.
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You would possibly assume this sport was proof of why Chelsea are so eager to get a brand new striker this summer time, however actually, what would Erling Haaland or Romelu Lukaku have performed in another way on this sport?
Kai Havertz had his house restricted by Arsenal Shaun Botterill / Getty Photos
To Arsenal’s credit score, they took their undeserved objective and ran with it. Towards the agile Kai Havertz, they misplaced a lot and eradicated each inch of house within the field, and when the tall Olivier Giroud got here in, they pushed up so excessive that they even managed to get on the ball for a minute or two.
They need to by no means have had that objective in the primary place, however after they had been forward they requested questions that Chelsea couldn’t reply. They challenged the Blues to interrupt them down, however Thomas Tuchel doesn’t have such gamers at his disposal.
Chelsea have many gamers who wish to run on defenders and beat them with tempo and motion. Havertz, Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic, Timo Werner and Callum Hudson-Odoi all fall into that class. It is a priceless talent, however one which presents nearly nothing when opposing defenders restrict the house behind them.
Towards Arsenal, none of those forwards may run as a result of there was nowhere to go. In the event that they ran on a hill, they’d run off the sphere, and within the odd moments they handed, the one choice was to cross right into a field that contained about ten heart slopes. It was the sort of sport that referred to as for somebody to seek out one other method that Cesc Fabregas at all times may.
Chelsea have lacked creativity since Fabregas left | Mike Hewitt / Getty Photos
Chelsea went to the left, hit a wall and turned proper. They went over to the correct, hit one other wall and needed to rethink, normally ending with a 40-yard bull from Kurt Zouma – a sample that lasted nearly the complete sport.
We noticed a change in that regard within the 78th minute when Hakim Ziyech entered the sphere. The Algerian is just not a velocity demon and prefers to let his cross discuss, however he’s already beginning to look a bit like a pony with a trick.
Ziyech loves a publish from the correct wing, however with regards to unlocking a cussed protection, he is just marginally higher than the remainder, and the identical goes for Jorginho in midfield. Chelsea have gamers who can cross the ball properly, however they lack that elite creator. It has been a downside for a number of years.
If Haaland or Lukaku had been at the highest of this crew, they’d have been starved of service and alternative, similar to Havertz and Giroud. You may have the most effective participant on the earth in assault, however when you cannot give him the ball in helpful positions, he is not going to do something for you.
Haaland would encounter the identical downside Christian Kaspar-Bartke / Getty Photos
It’s in this example that Chelsea wanted somebody like Kevin De Bruyne, Bruno Fernandes, Jack Grealish or every other good creator to provide them one other benefit, and that must be Chelsea’s main focus when the summer time switch window opens.
A brand new striker would nonetheless go down properly – let’s not faux Chelsea wouldn’t rating extra objectives with an elite choice at the highest – however till there’s a dependable stream of creativity coming their method, no striker will ever hit the heights anticipated of them.
It isn’t any coincidence that Chelsea’s final participant to attain 20 Premier League objectives in a season was Diego Costa, who was led to that time by Fabrega’s creativity. You would like each a objective scorer and a passer-by to get there, and for the time being Chelsea hardly have both.
Tuchel wants extra creativity in midfield Shaun Botterill / Getty Photos
When it comes to objectives, Grealish could also be too costly, however gamers like Udinese’s Rodrigo de Paul or RB Leipzig’s Dani Olmo could possibly be profitable choices for a Chelsea aspect who’re chasing a real supply of creativity.
On paper, Chelsea don’t want one other attacking midfielder, however what they want is a totally different kind of participant. Till that creator comes, low-block protection will at all times be a downside for the Blues. Now that the weak point is there, they are going to change into extra frequent, so a direct resolution is the important thing.
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