On Wednesday, Chelsea failed to mount any sort of comeback, after gifting Arsenal the lead.
Ever since Thomas Tuchel came in, Chelsea have undoubtedly looked a different side. They look defensively assured, tactically adept and capable of grinding out results. Having led Chelsea to two cup finals and in pole position to finish in top-four, many say Chelsea’s transformation is complete. After defeating Man City twice within a month, there is a belief that Chelsea might be the team best equipped to dethrone City next season. Challenging on multiple fronts next season looks a foregone conclusion.
However, defeat to Arsenal highlighted one problem Tuchel hasn’t been able to fix yet – the attack. Chelsea have scored more than two goals just once under the German. They haven’t blown teams away, even when they have created plenty of chances, and have often relied on a solid defensive structure to get the job done. Against Arsenal, their was a costly defensive lapse in concentration, but the attackers couldn’t make up for it.
Stats don’t lie…
- Chelsea’s joint top scorers in the league have 6 goals. Only Fulham and Wolves have fewer.
- Chelsea are the joint-lowest scorers in the top seven (level with West Ham).
- Under Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea have managed just 22 goals in 17 league games.
- Chelsea have scored just 15 goals in 17 games against top half opposition.
Above statistics just aren’t good enough, especially the first one. Last season, only Man City and Liverpool scored more goals than the Blues. The expectation, after so much money was splashed on attacking talent, was to improve those numbers.
Chelsea though have shown it in the past that you don’t need to score plenty in order to win titles. Of their five title winning seasons, they have been the league’s top scorers only once. But in games like the Arsenal one, you need your front-men to step up and deliver when it’s required the most.
Breaking down organized defenses has been Chelsea’s Achilles heel all season, even under Tuchel. It’s one thing playing against the Man City’s and the Liverpool’s, who come at you and leave spaces in behind. It’s a completely different thing playing against teams who sit back and maintain a low-block. And as a team wanting to win titles, you have to win both types of games.
On Wednesday, despite having so much possession, Chelsea were unable to find a way past the Arsenal defense. Mikel Arteta’s men just didn’t allow Chelsea any spaces, forcing them to side-ways and backwards passing.
However, we know that Thomas Tuchel is a genius, and he will solve this problem as well. This is the time of the season where results are of prime importance, not the panache in getting those results. Before the next season starts, Tuchel will have a full pre-season to work with his players, and you can only see Chelsea getting better next season as well.
But for now, let’s hope that Chelsea’s timid performance doesn’t prove too costly.