Manchester United 1-1 Chelsea lessons learnt: Melatonin FC

It feels like a tale as old as time, doesn’t it? An important match-up the Blues are favored to win and they earn a less than impressive result. Chelsea leaves Old Trafford with a 1-1 draw and more questions than answers. A beautiful volleyed goal by Marcos Alonso was nullified by a Cristiano Ronaldo howler and the visitors largely failed to vanquish their ghost of uninspiring football. As always, as fans lament what was a painful performance, we’re here to discuss what lessons could be gleaned from the match. Get ready because they’re not going to make you feel better.

Here are three lessons we learnt from the Blues’ 1-1 draw at Manchester United:

1. Melatonin FC?

Zzzquil, chamomile tea and Chelsea FC are all synonymous with lulling us to sleep. All jokes aside, the challenge with the Blues this season has been a general lack of energy out of the gate. The first half was easily one of the most lifeless bouts of football I’ve witnessed in some time. In a match that offered Chelsea the opportunity to virtually secure Champions League football next season, the Blues lacked any semblance of the “killer instinct” elite clubs typically possess.

The saving grace here is Reece James, who was easily the best player on the pitch for the majority of the match. James has been struggling with injury, but he has entrenched himself as a world class talent in European football. Sure, he missed a clear opportunity to get one on the board early, but his passing and defensive positioning were key to Chelsea’s minimal success this evening.

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Considering the noise surrounding the club and the high volume of matches played, you could excuse Chelsea’s visible fatigue. However, you could also argue that Man United is a club in a more dire situation. The expectation is that the Blues should bury this club and, despite plenty of opportunities, they couldn’t. The lackluster play has become a trademark for this Chelsea squad and it needs to change if it wants to compete next season—especially with the realistic chance that no world class acquisitions are coming in the summer transfer window.

2. Kai Havertz: Uber-talented, but unrefined

There have been some headlines this season to get excited about. For example, Mason Mount’s continued development and Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s reemergence as a midfield Swiss Army Knife. All of that being said, none of these storylines have been more exciting than Kai Havertz evolving into an elite false nine during his second season at Chelsea.

Havertz entered this match with seven goals and three assists in the Premier League this season, but he’s rounded into great form recently. He has displayed a strong connection with Timo Werner and Mason Mount and, by all accounts, this connection has helped fuel a slightly more dangerous core attacking nucleus than spectators experienced earlier in the season. All of that said, this match seemed ripe for a Havertz world class performance. Unfortunately, he didn’t deliver in the way many supporters would have expected.

It wasn’t because there weren’t opportunities for the Blues’ front-man during the match. He missed a clean header opportunity in the first half and misplaced a pass on a three-on-two counter in the 48′ when he tried to squeeze a difficult pass to N’Golo Kante between the defenders. Havertz simply struggled to lead the attack into any real threatening positions, despite matching up with weaker opposition. This is the story of Havertz during his career in west London. The Champions League-winning goal scorer sometimes fails to leave his mark. We’ve learned so far that, while Kai Havertz is extremely talented and possesses the potential to be world class, he’s still very unrefined.

3. Champions League football

Ultimately, it’s an opportunity missed for the reigning European Champions. Champions League qualification was on the line in this one, and Chelsea’s flat performance has added additional pressure to the end of the season that, frankly, the team shouldn’t have. Everton and Wolves are now on deck, so the Blues must do everything possible to walk away with four or more points if they plan on giving themselves time to focus on the upcoming FA Cup final against Liverpool.

This is another draw that will spark criticism of the squad and their coaching staff. You could make an argument that Chelsea has been favorited in its last eight matches (including Real Madrid) and the Blues have only managed to win three times. It’s a concerning trend that is the consequence of many things, but fans don’t want excuses, they want results.

What are some of the lessons you learnt in this match? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter!