Chelsea lost once again, this time to a very bad Arsenal side. The Blues showed no passion, so what lessons were learnt in the match?
Chelsea suffered a third consecutive defeat away from home after falling to a highly-spirited Arsenal side in the boxing day derby. It was a truly woeful performance from the Blues who were second best in major departments. Right from kickoff, the Arsenal players showed that they wanted it more and deservedly got the victory in the end. As bad as yesterday’s display was, there is only a little time to dwell on it as the visit of Aston Villa awaits barely 48 hours later. But lessons can always be learnt and here are three from the defeat to Arsenal.
1. Chelsea lets another struggling side off the hook again
If you had offered Arsenal fans a point before kickoff yesterday, majority of them would have taken it. The North Londoners were without a win in ten league games and were missing so many of their first-team regulars. As shown on so many occasions last season, Chelsea failed to plunge an already vulnerable side further into misery and that is not good enough for a team that is challenging at the upper echelons of the table. No matter how much of a favorite you are going into any Premier League game, you simply cannot afford to not give your all and Chelsea ended up paying the ultimate price for sloppiness.
2. A new winger cannot come soon enough
For all the money that Chelsea spent last summer, a few injuries have often laid the squad bare, especially in attack. Chelsea has barely had two natural wingers fully fit at the same time and this has often forced Timo Werner to play out wide. Based on available evidence, it’s safe to say that Chelsea would fare better with Werner on the bench rather than on the wing. Not only does Werner continue to drop subpar performances, but he often forces Christian Pulisic to play on the right side whereas the American is significantly more dangerous and more effective on the left. All in all, the January window is less than a week from its commencement and getting a new winger should be top of Chelsea’s wish list if it is to turn its fortunes around in the second half of the season.
3. Unfortunately, a top-four finish looks like the ceiling once again
The 3-1 victory over Leeds which put the Blues temporarily top of the table now seems a long time ago. Consecutive defeats to Everton and Wolves were followed up with a stuttering victory over West Ham. Add the most recent defeat and it’s fair to say Chelsea is not yet ready to mount a significant title challenge. Make no mistake, many of our current players are good enough to deliver a title in the nearest future but at the moment, a return to the Champions League next season looks like a more realistic goal for Frank Lampard’s men. This may be a hard pill to swallow given how much business was done in the summer but remember, Rome was not built in a day and Chelsea’s dynasty certainly won’t be.
What lessons did you learn from this match? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter!