The Pride of London
Fansided

Chelsea vs Tottenham: Three things to look for in Mind Series’ conclusion

By Gabe Henderson

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 15: Callum Hudson-Odoi of Chelsea during The Emirates FA Cup Final match between Chelsea and Leicester City at Wembley Stadium on May 15, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 15: Callum Hudson-Odoi of Chelsea during The Emirates FA Cup Final match between Chelsea and Leicester City at Wembley Stadium on May 15, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 3
Next
Chelsea’s Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi chases the ball during the pre-season friendly football match between Arsenal and Chelsea at The Emirates Sadium in north London on August 1, 2021. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Chelsea’s Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi chases the ball during the pre-season friendly football match between Arsenal and Chelsea at The Emirates Sadium in north London on August 1, 2021. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images) /

3. Finishing chances

If we’re beginning to sound like a broken record—or every other Chelsea site—we apologize. The Blues’ issues up top are just too noteworthy to ignore. Look no further than the club’s top Premier League scorers list for last season to see an example of this. Jorginho sat atop the chart with seven goals, all coming from the penalty spot.

For context, each of the three teams to finish ahead of Chelsea had double digit domestic scorers (Ilkay Gundogan for Man City with 13, Bruno Fernandes for Man United with 18 and Mohamed Salah for Liverpool with 22). Leicester City (x2), West Ham (x2), Tottenham (x3), Arsenal (x2), Leeds United, Everton, Aston Villa (x2), Newcastle, Crystal Palace (x2), Southampton, Burnley and West Brom all had scorers reach double digits, as well. The Blues were joined by Wolves, Brighton, Fulham and Sheffield United as the only five sides to fail to reach this mark, the latter two were relegated. This just goes to show not having a consistent scorer is not a sustainable business model.

Despite these struggles, Chelsea’s defensive stability led it to an FA Cup final and a Champions League victory. Many were hopeful that offseason rest for Timo Werner would see him return back to his goalscoring ways from Leipzig. He’s now got a year of experience in the Premier League under his belt, after all. The German’s performance against Arsenal showed us much of the same indecisiveness on the ball and inability to score efficiently though. This isn’t to say that hope he’ll “come good” (for lack of a better term) has faded, it’s just dwindled for the time being. Further, Tammy Abraham and Michy Batshuayi missed a few great looks each. Add Hakim Ziyech’s unbelievable sequence that saw him somehow fail to take advantage of an open net to those struggles and the Blues have themselves a recipe for disaster.

Romelu Lukaku might be the side’s secret ingredient amidst rumors he’ll return to Stamford Bridge. Nevertheless, the players currently with Tuchel’s side in preseason need to make the most of their opportunities. Can they take their chances against Tottenham or will it be a new chapter from the same old story?

Next. Chelsea vs Tottenham preseason predicted XI: Do we see a 3-4-1-2?. dark

What are some of the things you’ll be looking for in the contest? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!

Home/Chelsea FC News