Chelsea versus Burnley really was just one of those games

Chelsea hosted Sean Dyche’s Burnley on Saturday but could only make away with one point. Fans were frustrated—somewhat understandably so—however, many narratives around that draw are simply not true. Many seemed to understand that poor finishing cost the Blues the game, but that is not indicative of what is to come in the future with the same line-up. No, Chelsea did not drop the points because Thomas Tuchel started Ross Barkley, Callum Hudson-Odoi or Kai Havertz. Nor did the Blues only draw because of any of the other silly narratives being circulated. In fact, Barkley recorded the most shot creating actions for his side on the day and Hudson-Odoi created the most chances (5) and the most big chances (3), as well.

Tuchel said after the game, “if we play that game 100 times, we win it 99 times.” That may be cliché but it’s oh so true. The facts back up the fact that Chelsea did everything right in that contest, except finishing. This is no cause for alarm though because finishing is the hardest thing to do in a game. In fact, 75 percent of all big chances are missed. To show just how dominant the Blues were in that game, a comparison is made with the Liverpool versus Burnley home game. The Liverpool game is chosen mainly because out of Chelsea’s title rivals, the Reds are the ones with an attack that many think is complete, and they have also played against Burnley at home this season.

The numbers show that Chelsea’s draw with Burnley was one of those games

When Liverpool hosted Burnley, the Merseyside squad took 27 shots and gathered an xG of 2.69 according to UnderStat. The Blues, in the equivalent home fixture, took 25 shots and gathered an xG of 3.01. This means the latter took better shots, as it averaged 0.12 xG per shot, compared to Liverpool’s 0.10. Chelsea took less shots on target (4/25) compared to Liverpool’s 9/27 though.

Key metrics indicate that the Blues matched Liverpool, and sometimes surpassed it, against Burnley. The only difference being that Chelsea converted one less big chance than the Reds. The Blues actually created four more big chances against the Clarets, while Liverpool allowed double the amount of big chances against Burnley, with the latter being wasteful. To get a point from Chelsea, Burnley needed to be lucky. The Blues had to waste enough chances and Dyche’s men had to be clinical with the one chance they got. This is why it was just one of those games. Chelsea did not play poorly in any phase of play, at all.

According to SofaScore, the home side created five big chances against the Clarets at the weekend, but missed four of them. By comparison, Liverpool created just three big chances against the same side on its home ground. On another day, the Blues convert more than two big chances and it’s an embarrassing outing for Burnley.

It’s extremely important that Chelsea fans don’t overreact to this draw because it was a day when Tuchel’s men gave themselves all the chances to win, but ultimately didn’t finish enough chances. This is not always the case either, as there are times when the Blues barely creates anything of substance to give themselves a winning chance. The Liverpool versus Chelsea fixture at Anfield early on in the season, the Brentford versus Chelsea game and the Chelsea versus Manchester City game all come to mind. All the fans can, and should, ask for is that the Blues give their all and create enough to give themselves a good chance to win—they ultimately did that.

What did you make of the Burnley match? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!