For the first time since the 1987/88 campaign, Southampton has pulled off an improbable double over Chelsea Football Club. For the Blues, this may be what rock bottom feels like. During the midweek in the Champions League, Graham Potter’s side pieced together an encouraging display on the road in Germany despite falling short by one goal. Within a blink of an eye, all that momentum has been squashed.
Fans are becoming impatient. Change does not occur in one day. For CFC following this performance, it is going to take quite a while to get back to where the club should be.
There was no sort of momentum that carried into the first match at Stamford Bridge after a two-game trip away from west London. Having picked up just three points in the last four league contests, the Blues are a full four points off of Brentford in ninth position.
A manager-less team on the road. There are not many excuses for failing to take care of business against the team sitting at the bottom of the English top flight. From blowing a two-goal lead against ten-men Wolves, the Saints went from ultimate low to cloud nine within a week.
It does not get any easier for CFC as Potter’s Blues head on the road to north London next weekend to go to battle with fifth-place Spurs. In order for Chelsea to have any sort of shot at claiming a European place, beating up on the teams at the bottom is imperative. This is quite a tough pill to swallow, but there are still plenty of games left in the campaign.
Here are the positives, and negatives from one of the most disheartening displays of football by Chelsea all season
Positives:
It can’t get much worse
Just like the big drop on a roller coaster. There is only one direction you can go, up. Losing at home to a Saints team that has been more unstable than any club in the league so far this season is tough to top. Many would have thought that CFC would have come out with much more fight given that the Blues deserved more in the Champions League on Wednesday. The goal seemed to have a brick wall in front of it.
While Gavin Bazunu is an impressive young goalkeeper, the Blues made him look much better than he actually is. Chelsea even needed Kalidou Koulibaly to clear a ball headed into the back of the net three minutes in to prevent what could have been a two-goal loss for the Blues. There were plenty of opportunities for CFC to even the score, but even a draw against a team like this at home would not have cut it. Belief is beginning to dwindle for many fans. This could have been the final straw, but the good thing is, there is only one way to go from here.
Cesar Azpilicueta is responsive after a scare
If that afternoon for the Blues could not get much worse, the captain and the heart and soul of the Blues went off on a stretcher. After French attacker, Sekou Mara accidentally kicked Cesar Azpilicueta in the face, every Blues fan at the Bridge, and watching at home held their breath. It took quite a while for both medical staffs in attendance to take Azpilicueta off.
Thankfully before he left the stadium, Dave signaled to the Blues fans, informing everyone he was going to be just fine. Reports from Potter, and goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, Azpilicueta is conscious and responsive. Who knows how long it is going to take for the long-time captain to return to the pitch, but all everyone needed to know after a scare that severe is that he is all right.
More encouraging in the second half
Compared to what turned out to be an uninspiring first 45 minutes of football for Potter’s side, the Blues came out hunting for an equalizer. A fit Raheem Sterling brought new life onto the pitch for CFC. Sterling in fact finished the game with the team lead in shots and shot-creating actions in just 45 minutes.
From Mason Mount’s mistimed header to the Kai Havertz, and Sterling link-up in the 68’, the second 45 minutes for the Blues was what the fans wanted to see for the entire match. If only CFC had come out with that kind of aggression going forward to begin the game. Still, Chelsea is left empty-handed, and with even more questions about how any sort of confidence is going to be generated. Sterling’s positivity in his cameo should make him a lock to start against Tottenham. It was good, not great half of football from CFC, and if that is the standard, there is something seriously wrong.
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.