Chelsea proved it can compete with the best, but lacks consistency

The past few months have been nothing but chaotic at Chelsea Football Club. Both on- and off-field issues related to the club have dominated news columns ever since the sanctioning of the Blues’ owner, Roman Abramovich. In addition to everything that has happened at the club—both in everyday operations and since the government brought the hammer down—and in Thomas Tuchel’s personal life over the last few weeks, the heavy defeat at the hands of Brentford was the candle on top. The inexplicable defeat at Stamford Bridge was just the latest in a long line of unfortunate events that have taken place lately.

Despite everything going on around it, the team has been doing quite well in terms of performance. The Blues have managed to stay afloat in the Premier League, sitting third in the table and comfortably in the top four race. For these reasons, the Brentford defeat seemingly came out of the blue for Chelsea following the international break. The situation only got worse after the crushing defeat against Real Madrid, again at home. To make the matter worse, the result would not have been the same had certain players done their job well. These matches go to show the inconsistency that still resides within the team.

Chelsea showed it can compete, now the Blues just need some consistency

The last thing the Blues wanted was to lose their grip on the Premier League’s top four, especially with their place in the Champions League in danger after the quarterfinal first leg loss. Even though Arsenal losing to Crystal Palace did help them out tremendously, they can’t expect help from those around them once again if they want any chance of retaining their position in the top four. This is because Tottenham Hotspur has started to find its groove under Antonio Conte.

As a result, it was vital to produce a good performance against Southampton away. Tuchel fielded the same front three that won his side the Champions League last May. Meanwhile, midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek took up a starting role in the right wingback spot. A brilliant performance saw Chelsea win by a significant margin at St. Mary’s, 6-0. This result built confidence back up for the following match, an attempted comeback at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Blues put on an outstanding display against Real Madrid in the Spanish capital. Chelsea was 3-0 up with just 10 minutes to go and a place in the semifinal booked. However, defensive errors and an inability to make the most of chances saw the defending champions bow out at the quarterfinal stage after allowing two consecutive goals to Los Blancos. The fact that Real Madrid made the most of every chance it created and was presented with will hurt Tuchel and his side even more. This is especially true after a mistake-prone first leg.

Romelu Lukaku twice had a chance to get one back in the home leg after Edouard Mendy’s error helped Karim Benzema complete his hat-trick. Meanwhile, Christian Pulisic twice failed to win the second leg late in the 90 minutes after an N’Golo Kante mistake helped the home side hit one back and force extra time. This was before Kai Havertz and Jorginho failed to put the ball back in the net in the aforementioned added period. If one of those mistakes had been prevented or Chelsea would have had luck on its side, the Blues still be alive in the competition.

This has been the story of the season for Chelsea though. Even in the Carabao Cup final, it was the luck and dubious VAR calls that cost the Blues the win. On top of everything, Chelsea needs to be clinical in front of the goal. Lukaku was brought to solve the team’s issues in front of goal, but he has seemingly only made himself part of the problem, as well, not solved it.

The fans have witnessed managers losing the plot over even the smallest uncertainties during their stints at the club. Therefore, the way Tuchel has conducted himself has been nothing short of extraordinary during his year in charge. The club and its new owners should back him in every way possible. If Tuchel can get the little luck the team needs, he can take Chelsea to the very top.