Chelsea at Aston Villa: Three lessons learnt in uninspiring defeat

2. A question of character

If Chelsea’s inability to deal with adversity has not been evident before, it certainly is now. In a team consisting of seasoned veterans such as Thiago Silva, Azpilicueta and Jorginho, the Blues tend to lose their way completely once things start going wrong.

Perhaps having gone through such a successful initial phase under Thomas Tuchel when the team more often than not scored first and then held onto its lead, the Blues seem unable to cope whenever the opposition opens the scoring. Composure is slowly but surely lost and an overwhelming sense that “this is not part of the script” takes over. The forwards continue to fluff their lines and the defenders are placed under unnecessary pressure at the back as greater risks are taken to fashion yet another opening. This was the case when Arsenal scored first at Stamford Bridge and this was also what happened when Leicester City scored to make it 1-0 in the FA Cup final. Unfortunately, this was also what happened against Aston Villa.

Some would argue that this is due to the number of young players in the side and a certain element of naivety that comes with it. Yet, on the day, it was the most senior footballers that ultimately let the team down. At the end of the day, as much as Tuchel’s Chelsea is about control, no amount of planning can help a team that cannot help but collapse like a house of cards at the first sign of adversity. Yes, Villa scoring through Bertrand Traore’s scuffed shot against the run of play is not ideal and neither was Thiago Silva’s red card when Chelsea played West Brom in the now infamous 5-2 defeat. Yet, in both instances, the players were unable to conjure up strong responses to the challenges posed to them by the opposition and were eventually made to pay.

Chelsea’s season was on the brink of implosion following the 1-0 loss to Leicester in the FA Cup and Sunday’s 2-1 loss to Aston Villa. Were it not for the heroics of a certain Gareth Bale for a certain Tottenham Hotspur, the Blues would be facing a situation in which their Champions League final against Manchester City becomes “do or die.” That said, Chelsea now enters its last competitive game of the season as firm underdogs. If the Blues are to stand any chance of coming away with silverware this season, they must have in the minds already, the will to come up with all the answers to all the questions City will be throwing at them come the 29th of May.