Chelsea: Four lessons learnt from Liverpool shellacking
By Travis Tyler
2. A penny for the signings pre transfer ban?
Seriously though, will someone even pay a penny for some of these plaeyrs? This excludes Christian Pulisic and Mateo Kovacic (who was technically not signed until this past summer) because both were signed after Chelsea had a pretty good inkling that the ban was coming. It is the thought process that led to the signings that proceeded them that is a true issue that needs to be addressed.
Antonio Rudiger looks like a shell of his former self after all his injury issues early in the season. For every step forward Jorginho takes, he seems to take ten backwards at the speed of smell trying to track back the next match. Olivier Giroud has done fine thus far, but today he was showing his age. Emerson has become an afterthought and Ross Barkley, despite his previous good form, has gone missing in recent matches. And do not even get started on Kepa Arrizabalaga.
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Some of these players were brought in as depth, not starters, and to some degree that can excuse them. They should not be the ones trusted to play against a team like Liverpool. Others, like Arrizabalaga, Rudiger, and Jorginho, have no such excuse. They were brought in as starters and to perform as they have lately is an embarrassment to the ones at the club who signed off on their signings.
It was already known Chelsea’s transfer dealings basically from Antonio Conte’s second summer to now have been far below par. But those below par signings are now key figures in the team. It shows. The Blues look like a team that bought poorly.
The hope will be that, starting from Pulisic and Kovacic, that the signings this summer will be stars. But beyond the ones already signed, the Blues need to sign players to push out the deadwood they have collected over the recent seasons.
There is simply no reason to play Jorginho, Arrizabalaga, or Rudiger any more this season. They have shown what they are willing to give on the field. It is not enough for where the Blues want to go.