Chelsea: Four lessons learnt in embarrassing loss at Wolves

Chelsea suffered an embarrassing and devastating loss at Molineux, but what are some of the lessons we learnt from the match?

Chelsea slumped to the type of emotionally punishing loss that seemed to be a running theme last season. While this is clearly a different side with better mental strength and character, these types of results are still an inevitability every once in a while. If nothing else, there are some important takeaways that can be put to good use going forward:

1. Chelsea needs to rest Timo Werner

This was arguably Timo Werner’s worst outing in a Chelsea shirt to date. Whether it was on the right in the first half or the left in the second, nothing was working for the German. Awful passing crept into his game to go along with the wretched finishing he’s displayed for well over a month now. In a game where Chelsea needed effective width to stretch Wolves’ back three, Werner did little to make life easier for Olivier Giroud and Christian Pulisic. As Chelsea pushed for a winner late in the match, Werner’s inability to contribute to the build-up play rendered the Blues’ entire left side inert, save for the occasional Ben Chilwell cross. It was truly dire stuff.

The good news is that Werner has made it clear that he’s a good player with the tools to succeed in the Premier League. Between his unbelievable pace, intelligent movement, and wide arsenal of finishes, he proved early on that the skills which made him a star in the Bundesliga will work just as well in across the channel. He’s not a flop, no matter how much the hot take artists push that narrative.

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What is equally clear, however, is that the overwhelmingly tight schedule and extreme physicality of the Premier League are conspiring to beat the life out of him. Werner leads Chelsea in minutes played, which is problematic for a few reasons. First off, having a forward lead a team in minutes played is rare, even under normal circumstances. Second, placing that workload on someone who is still adjusting to the physical rigors of the Premier League is unfair, bordering on dangerous. Add the cherry on top in the form of the crowded fixture list, courtesy of COVID, and you have a situation that feels like a punishment rather than an opportunity.

All of that being the case, it’s no wonder he’s shooting wide of the mark, over and under-hitting passes and failing to burst past defenders like he was in September. The impact of latter two issues is compounded by the fact that Lampard has seemingly settled on playing Werner exclusively as a winger. With flagging pace and sketchy passing, he’s offering essentially nothing as a wide player. Of course, that versatility was part of the appeal of bringing him in in the first place, but with Giroud and Tammy Abraham available as pure strikers, Werner has been shunted out wide for the foreseeable future.

Part of the issue is that Werner is clearly an exceptional athlete. Chelsea’s pool of out-and-out wingers is too small and too fragile, so a relatively consistent option like the German is a tantalizing thing for Lampard to rely on. That reliance, however, is getting dangerously close to endangering the health of the player, which in turn will submarine any chance for the team to regain the form it showed up until the Everton match. Tuesday was confirmation of this troubling trend.

Looking into the near future, it’s worth remembering that Werner is used to a full two-week winter break in the Bundesliga, something the Premier League recently adopted but has forgone in hopes of finishing the season on time in May. If Werner’s body is expecting that window for recovery, persisting with the constant deluge of minutes could really ruin him.

All of this is to say that Werner clearly needs a few matches off to rest, refocus and hopefully regain some semblance of good form as we head into the business end of the season. The dire performance against Wolves was undeniable proof that Werner’s body is starting to run out of even fumes to run on, and Lampard needs to pay attention and monitor one of his key players in order to have him available for the rest of the season. If Werner is absent until the new year, so be it. Chelsea will benefit from it in the long run.