Chelsea were completely outplayed by West Brom in Saturday’s lunchtime 5-2 at Stamford Bridge. Even before a rusty Thiago Silva was sent off after only half an hour, Baggies had posed a threat to the Blues and there was no desire for the visitors to later rise to a great victory.
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Chelsea no longer went in every division. West Brom’s first two goals, both scored by the excellent Matheus Pereira, were completely avoidable from a defensive perspective, one the result of a long point from the goalkeeper and the other from cheaply losing possession.
Chelsea was played by West Brom at Stamford Bridge | Pool / Getty Images
This was a West Brom side that had won just three of their previous 29 Premier League matches and, even after this victory, it still looks like they are coming down in the season.
It was almost a case of reverse roles on the day, with the Baggies taking part in Champions League chasers and Chelsea looking more like the relegation line.
Thomas Tuchel has had a huge impact on Chelsea since taking over from Frank Lampard at the end of January. He inherited a struggling team that had lost five of its last eight Premier League matches and had slipped from the top four battle against the mid-table obscurity.
During his first two leading months, Chelsea found their feet, were undefeated in all competitions, took 22 points from a possible 30 in the league, continued to advance in the FA Cup and comfortably beat a very strong Atletico Madrid out of the Champions League with home and away wins.
Chelsea have been in fine form during Tuchel before international break | Mike Hewitt / Getty Images
Tuchel was even named Premier League manager for the month of March, making him the second German after Jurgen Klopp to receive the award.
But the timing of Chelsea’s worst performance under Tuchel could hardly have been worse. It was not simply a mistake, it was a big embarrassment just four days before they returned to Europe to face Porto in the Champions League last eight.
Had this happened before the international break or not with a decisive game that came almost immediately at the end of the season, it would have been different. Now the pressure is on to react and make sure that the same mistakes and negligence do not exist against Porto.
Chelsea can not afford a repeat of Porto | Valerio Pennicino / Getty Images
If Chelsea are just as loose in possession again and give Porto the kind of space that West Brom have gratefully used, they will be severely punished for it.
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