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4 points of concern following Chelsea’s drubbing of Burnley

By Michael DeVito

BURNLEY, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 31: James Tarkowski of Burnley battles for possession with Kai Havertz of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Burnley and Chelsea at Turf Moor on October 31, 2020 in Burnley, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
BURNLEY, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 31: James Tarkowski of Burnley battles for possession with Kai Havertz of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Burnley and Chelsea at Turf Moor on October 31, 2020 in Burnley, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 26: Christian Pulisic of Chelsea in action during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge on July 26, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Craig Mercer/MB Media/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 26: Christian Pulisic of Chelsea in action during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge on July 26, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Craig Mercer/MB Media/Getty Images) /

Chelsea may have destroyed Burnley on the day, but that doesn’t mean the team is flawless, even given its recent unbeaten run.

Chelsea’s Saturday afternoon 3-0 win against Burnley had a lot of positive takeaways, but there are still several areas of concern to note. The statement can certainly be made that after a 3-0 victory, there cannot be too much to be concerned about. While that’s correct to some degree, not everything is sunshine and rainbows at Stamford Bridge, there are some concerns hidden in the cracks. On one hand, Chelsea is unbeaten in its last six, but at the end of the day, the Blues beat a club who sits at the bottom of the Premier League table.

Here are a few things to still be concerned about as Frank Lampard guides his relatively young side through the remainder of the strange season:

1. Christian Pulisic’s injury and his history

Christian Pulisic—who was slated to start the game against Burnley—went down in a heap due to a slip prior to the game. He quickly headed for the training room during warmups and he was ruled out of the starting line-up; only to be replaced by Timo Werner. Hopefully, this injury ostensibly to his ankle won’t be anything of major concern and he will be back in the squad shortly. However, the issue here is more about frequency at this point, rather than the severity of the current injury.

The American star has been terrific in a Chelsea shirt since he returned from another serious injury. His previous knock, a hamstring problem, came just a few short months ago in the FA Cup final. Pulisic’s direct attacking style was a revelation for Chelsea as he, Olivier Giroud and Willian led the team’s charge to earn an unlikely top four finish in the table last season, along with the accompanying Champions League berth.

After being injured in the FA Cup final loss to Arsenal, a turn of events that was costly to the Blues, he has still been dealing with annoying muscle injury. A setback in training at the start of this season, and now a potential ankle injury, have continued to impede his progress in the team. It’s a worry and it’s becoming chronic. As one of just three natural wingers in the squad, Pulisic is a cog in Lampard’s machine. Fingers crossed he can finally find full fitness and remain healthy as the season progresses. If not, the Blues could be in some trouble.

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