Chelsea: Three lessons learnt in FA Cup final collapse

Chelsea disappointedly failed on the big stage against Leicester City. The Blues have mostly themselves to blame as key lessons were learned.

1. Same attacking problems, no solutions

Chelsea is unable to find reliable avenues to score and this has been the case for some time. However, it mattered now more than before at the cost of the FA Cup. In general, the game was cagey and neither side experimented enough to create chances. But all it took from Leicester City was a moment of brilliance, something Chelsea could not overcome.

After the opposition took the lead, the game was done. Chelsea was not doing anything different to break down Leicester’s compact and aggressive defending. In fact, the Blues became predictable. None of the attacking players were good enough, nor was there any cohesiveness.

Even when the substitutions were made, nothing changed. Thomas Tuchel made all attacking substitutions, but the game plan was the same. Chelsea was still trying the same tactics. The only player who tried to create chances from crosses was Callum Hudson-Odoi. But only one player trying to make a difference is not enough. Because there was no change in mentality and tactics, Chelsea never stood a chance and, therefore, did not find a solution when it mattered the most.

2. Thomas Tuchel got his lineup wrong

The level of rotations for such an important match was a mistake. Chelsea needed the strongest squad possible to win the FA Cup. However, Tuchel opted to rotate heavily again, and it came at a cost. Now, it is understandable why he did it; the next few matches will be difficult and fresh legs are needed; from a logical standpoint, Chelsea cannot solely rely on winning the Champions League to qualify for the competition next year. Therefore, this was the match were rotation had to be made.

Playing Marcos Alonso, Timo Werner, and Hakim Ziyech were all mistakes. Chelsea needed a direct approach in order to break down Leicester. However, neither of these players provided any quality to do so. Alonso, despite his unexpected come back was slow and lacked his usual forward instinct. In the other hand, Ziyech and Werner were absent in their attacking roles. Neither of them took risks, nor made runs. Instead, they chose wide or back passes.

Playing Ben Chilwell, Christian Pulisic, and Kai Havertz from the start would have provided a vertical and direct approach. However, their substitutions came too little late which is why Chelsea never stood a chance.

3. We hate VAR

For a split second it felt like the team could win the match. Ben Chilwell’s run towards the inside of the box was what Chelsea needed all along and he delivered. But according to VAR, it was offside. At this point it is hard to find the respectful words to describe the how frustrating it is to watch goals be disallowed. In the VAR camera view, it could be argued a million times over whether or not Chilwell was offside, and no one could come to a conclusion. But the fact that the referee made up his mind in a matter of seconds mind blowing. Especially when the decision is made so late in the game.

Now, I am not arguing that the referee should make decision based on the grounds of “let’s keep the entertainment going.” But rather, these types of decisions should be made only if is undeniably clear on a second look at the screen. Which, in this case, it wasn’t.

Chelsea is to blame for not winning the game for many reasons. But VAR made sure the blues never had a chance to touch the cup.

What lessons did you learn in the loss? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter!