Chelsea’s current form is worrying as the season marches on

A run of just four wins from 13 games shouts trouble for any team let alone a side of Chelsea’s caliber. After their shocking performance against champions Manchester City, fans would have expected some sort of fightback from the team against Brighton. But it was again the same story of a team with many of the players looking demotivated.

Unlike the City game, some of the blame should be made on Thomas Tuchel as well. Just a day after winning FIFA World Coach of the Year, the German gave even more evidence to those who believed he should not have won it. It is impossible to find the logic behind starting Romelu Lukaku and Hakim Ziyech after the disastrous outing at Etihad. A similar performance from Callum Hudson-Odoi meant it was yet another Chelsea side without any attacking instincts.

After a disappointing end to 2021, the blues had a good couple of games in the cup competitions which saw them advance into the fifth round of the FA cup and the final of the Carabao cup. But their league form suggests nothing has changed considerably in their form.

More than the results, it’s the lack of desire that should be worrying for them. Apart from a few players, most of them display the body language of someone who does not want to be there. The goal Chelsea scored came out of nowhere. Even though his performance was better than against City, Ziyech was still poor. What’s more shocking is the fact that it took almost 80th minute for Tuchel to implement changes. It was despite so evident from the first half that those sets of players were not capable of winning the match.

The goal Chelsea conceded was appalling defending. Adam Webster had no trouble running towards ball the before heading it into the post since the opposition players were standing still. From then on, it was all Brighton. Though it may seem strange in the 90th minute, Chelsea moved the ball like they had a two-goal lead. Even Kepa Arrizabalaga never tried to initiate an attack when he had the ball. It’s the same Edouard Mendy as well. They just don’t try to launch an attack like Ederson and all. Chelsea goalkeepers just grab the ball and let opposition players go to their position before starting anything.

If only the visitors showed half of the desire Tariq Lamptey showcased, they would have won. The Cobham graduate was running around without stopping and made life difficult for Marcos Alonso and others. If it was not for Thiago Silva, Chelsea would have lost the game.

Tuchel needs to be brave and should make changes when it is more than evident things are not working. Chelsea has two titles in their sight in the next two months. With the current form, they can say goodbye to those titles now themselves. If they didn’t have a good start to the season, Tuchel’s side would have been battling for a place in the top four behind some of the chasing teams. If the current form continues, it will soon be a reality.