After an enthralling draw with Liverpool last weekend, which left much to look forward to, Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea let it all come crashing down with a defeat away to West Ham.
While the first half looked like there could be some positive sparks, the second half showed clear indications of the work still to be done with this team. While the poor performance was a collective effort, three players seemed to fare worse during this London derby.
3 Chelsea players who let the team down against West Ham United
Axel Disasi
Arriving earlier this summer from Monaco, there was much to look forward to with the arrival of Axel Disasi. A large, physical, commanding center-back, he was recruited to bolster defensive options in the middle and perhaps be a successor to Thiago Silva. Last week at Liverpool he showed his class, and scored the goal to bring the game level.
This weekend though, a different player was on the pitch. With shaky defending and dreadful forward play, Disasi showed he has much to build on if he wants to be Pochettino’s first choice. He made a few missteps defending and his hesitancy in backtracking led to the second goal by Antonio.
Unfortunately, Disasi didn’t do much to prove he should be a regular starter. In two weeks, he’s shown us both sides of his coin and this match cost a lot more than just a single goal. Seeing Disasi in the starting lineup again felt well deserved after his performance last week, but after his showing against West Ham, Pochettino may have to reconsider him for the next match.