Chelsea 0-1 Southampton: 3 positives and 3 negatives from dreadful home loss

Negatives

Goal drought rolls on  

Four goals in the last 10 games in all competitions. That is simply not going to get it done. No matter how good of a chance CFC could have mustered against the Saints, it seems the goal is shrinking for the Blues at the moment.

In total, Chelsea has managed to net just 23 goals in the Premier League, 12 fewer than the next lowest total from any other team in the top half of the table. Is it time to bring Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang back into the squad? At this point, what is there to lose?

Whether it is Havertz or David Datro Fofana, whoever Potter sends out at the forward-most player on the day continues to fall short of beating the goalkeeper. Trying to configure what kind of team Potter is going to put out next is nearly impossible. Almost anything is in play at this point. Creativity is there at points, but the execution is not.

The Blues have scored two or more goals in a match twice since the beginning of November in all competitions. For a roster with this much talent, more is going to be needed. It is difficult to talk about CFC over the last few seasons without bringing up the issue surrounding goal production. A lot of it is mental, and right now, the self-belief within the squad seems to be non-existent.

Cannot build off positive Dortmund performance

Many thought the Dortmund match was a turning point. They had good reason to believe so too. The Blues missed the goal in almost every possible way in Germany during the mid-week, so there was good reason to believe Saturday at the Bridge could have been a breakthrough in the goals department for CFC. It was not a win for the west London side on Wednesday night, but for how things have been going, it was the closest thing to it.

The Blues accumulated an expected goals total over two for just the second time in the previous 11 contests in the Champions League or the English top-flight. Chelsea had a chance to take a break for league action, hoping that another competition would spark something in the team going forward.

Potter’s side had 21 total shots against the eight-time German champions, more than the club has been able to muster in the last four contests. Seven of those found the target, not including the few that struck the woodwork. Just when the car looks to be picking up speed, another bump in the road gets in the way. That has been the story of Chelsea Football all season.

Joao Felix takes a step back

The Atletico Madrid loanee has been one of the brightest players on the pitch for the Blues since his arrival during the January transfer window. His red card in his electric debut for the team set him back, but Felix found a way to recover well in the past two games. Felix failed to complete even one of his four dribbles against the Saints.

It is the first time in his Chelsea career that he has failed to complete at least two in a single match. Coming off a game where he was the livewire once again for the Blues, it was looking to be the kind of game where Felix would score his second or maybe third goal for the club.

The former Benfica star had his lowest expected goals and shot-creating action total of his Chelsea career so far. There is still a lot to love about the Portuguese midfielder, but it is safe to say, this was an uncharacteristic display from what we have seen from him so far in blue.