Yesterday, Chelsea produced another flat performance away to Juventus as they registered back-to-back defeats. Despite completely dominating the ball in the first half, they failed to create any significant chances. In fact, it was Juventus who were looking the more likely every time they broke out from their half. The visitors were duly punished just 10 seconds into the second half by goal from Federico Chiesa. Chelsea huffed and puffed, made changes, and ultimately did create a few chances but they were wasted by Romelu Lukaku and Kai Havertz.
In the end, the Blues lost 1-0, their second consecutive defeat by that score line. They did one better than the weekend’s result, registering one shot on target, a tame effort by Lukaku from a corner early in the first half. The misfiring, goal-shy Chelsea from last season was seen in the last two games, and now that they have Lukaku in their lineup, such performances are a big cause of concern.
Lackluster Chelsea
The two defeats are contrasting; in one they didn’t have the ball, in the other, they had lots of it. But the one common in both defeats was Chelsea’s failure to break down a resolute defense. They are just unable to create any chances against teams that don’t lose their shape, like Juventus yesterday. They resort to work the ball out wide and put crosses in, but even that wasn’t happening against the Old Lady. There wasn’t enough movement either from the midfield men to create space for Lukaku.
They had good winning chances too yesterday. Their Turin opponents have made a shockingly poor start to the domestic league. Defensively, they’re all over the place and the clean sheet against Malmo two weeks ago was their first in 23 attempts. Yes they did defend well yesterday, but Chelsea failed to strike any fear and inject any doubts in the team. By the minute, Max Allegri’s men grew in confidence.
For Tuchel, there’s a big problem to solve. His Chelsea team hasn’t exactly been prolific at any stage and solely rely on their staunch rearguard to win games. This is reflecting in their numbers as well: Tuchel’s Chelsea have only scored 3+ goals in a game once, and Chelsea haven’t scored 5 in a game since early days of last season. With all the world class talent they’ve got in their ranks, those numbers have to change quick if they are to achieve their season’s targets.
It seems like for Chelsea, at one time, either one of attack or defense clicks into gear, not both simultaneously. Under Frank Lampard, they were fluid going forward but shambolic at the back. Under Tuchel, they are dogged and disciplined in defense but look like a midtable team going forward. If Chelsea are to challenge on multiple fronts this season, they must strike a balance between attack and defense, otherwise, for all the money they spend, they’ll remain a step behind the elite.