After almost half a decade of slumber, Chelsea is back for a proper fight for the Premier League title. Not since the era of Antonio Conte have the Blues looked so dangerous and eager to win the English top flight. The London side started out the year in a fantastic manner, winning the Super League and sending a statement to the rest of the English clubs that it means business. After five games in the league, the Blues were sitting at the top of the table. However, they suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday against the defending champion, Manchester City.
In all honesty, Saturday was not one of the best performances shown by the European Champions. Simply put, they must improve a lot in the midfield if they want to challenge for the title. Man City was dominating the middle of the park as they did not let the Blues get out of their own half. This constant pressure from the visitors must have demoralized the Blues’ players as they were losing the ball, getting outplayed and could not match their opponents overall.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel and centerback Antonio Rudiger agree that the Blues need to play with more confidence going forward
One of the best players at Chelsea at the moment, Antonio Rudiger, warned his teammates that everyone must do better and that no one in the team is irreplaceable. Rudiger went on to say that the Blues were not confident on the ball and this was the first time their opponents were actually the better team. In an interview with Chelsea’s official page, he said:
"‘Today is the first time that the opponent was physically better than us. They ran more than us, they made it very difficult for us. But from ourselves, it was very disappointing. We have to admit we had a very bad day in the office. We didn’t perform on our usual level and that’s why we were punished and this is what we have to take for the next games, to give more intensity, because to be honest in every aspect they were better than us.’"
The UEFA Coach of the Season, Thomas Tuchel, seemed to agree with the points made by Rudiger. He also said the team did not play with enough confidence. The manager went on to emphasize these points in a post-match interview:
"‘We played like we had something to lose but there was more to win than to lose. It is okay, we lacked a bit of freshness as well . . . maybe this one is on me but it’s ok. We lost the game and City deserved to win. Until the goal, we were very strong in the last 20 meters of the field, unfortunately only there.’"
This is exactly what went wrong in the game: the City players were more determined. It seemed like the Chelsea boys lacked belief and were playing a bit more conservatively. In a match of such caliber and importance, the Blues must believe that they are the better squad. Honestly, they are one of the best teams in the world at the moment. Once the London side starts playing with confidence, there is no stopping it.
In the match against Arsenal and the second half against Tottenham Hotspur, there was a clear gap between the big teams of England and the Champions of Europe. Chelsea was miles better and although not every match will be that easy, the Blues cannot lose hope and just sit back and defend. They have players who have the ability to play the ball out from the back, and they must put this defeat behind them and continue onwards.
Do you think Chelsea can put this performance behind it and win the Premier League? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!