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Chelsea lost 2-0 to Liverpool last night in what was a presentation of Chelsea's attitude and mentality this season. The loss now puts them in a poor position to get into the top four and it could have serious implications on Chelsea as a club. Some serious thinking is required from the manager to make the most out of the few matches left.
Chelsea's top four chances are looking dark now as other teams are yet to play. Their best way to get into the Champions League next season looks like the Europa League where they play Slavia Prague in the return leg at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea need a better plan against bigger teams
Chelsea this season have played their possession-based football throughout the season and have opted to defend deep with the hope of a quick counter against the bigger teams. While this approach has worked to an extent this season with Chelsea defeating Manchester City and Tottenham, Chelsea needs a clearer and efficient plan to work.
Chelsea often looked clueless at times yesterday and were just happy to make blind clearances, making them look like a bottom table team looking to just defend.
Chelsea players are stuck between possession-based football and counter-attacking football in these matches and seemed to lack a cutting edge. Eden Hazard, Chelsea's anchor, has his best position on the Left Wing but was put in a central role and couldn't do much against the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Matip.
Liverpool always looked like scoring and the goal seemed inevitable. Being defensively solid is one thing, but just sitting deep and allowing the opposition to continuously keep weaving chances is outrageous for a team like Chelsea and something which isn't acceptable by the fans.
Jorginho cannot play against high-pressing teams
Jorginho arrived at Stamford Bridge amid much fanfare and was expected to set the league on fire. While he has contributed immensely to the setup called Sarriball, his lack of physicality, pace, and defensive prowess have left Chelsea exposed many times.
Jorginho was again deployed in the regista role yesterday. He started the game brightly with few lobs but only got scratchier and weaker as the match progressed. The lack of physicality was clearly evident against Sadio Mane as he was continuously shoved and tackled.
Not only did Jorginho lose the ball on many occasions due to this quick and physical approach, he further failed to get back and defend. He was often outpaced by Firminho and it was evident that Jorginho cannot play against high-pressing, physical teams.
Mateo Kovacic could have been a great addition here as he possesses unmatched dribbling abilities and physicality to take on anyone and would have been able to wriggle out of these tight situations.
Gonzalo Higuain cannot be Chelsea's talisman
Gonzalo Higuain was brought in as he "understood" Sarri's system the most and knew how to make the most of it. Higuain has scored only thrice in the league and has failed to make any sort of impact.
Higuain was put on just before the hour mark yesterday. While Chelsea improved after the substitution, it was more due to a change in formation, not a change in personnel. Higuain fluffed a great chance yesterday as he was slow to react to the situation and that let van Dijk dispossess him easily.
Higuain was slow on many occasions and was not able to press effectively. Higuain seems to be having problems adapting to the Premier League. It seems the physicality in the league is something he hasn't seen before. It is better for Chelsea to move on from him as soon as possible.
Hudson-Odoi and Loftus-Cheek must improve immensely
While this may be a bit harsh, Hudson-Odoi and Loftus-Cheek were not up to the mark yesterday. Loftus-Cheek was uncharacteristically over-dribbling and he often lost the ball very easily. Instead of passing to an open teammate, the English midfielder on numerous occasions looked to pull too many tricks out of the hat.
Hudson-Odoi was given the duty of defending on the right wing as well and was doing decently. But as the game progressed, he lost the ball easily a few times and seemed a bit nervous. He failed to provide a creative spark and was not his usual confident self on the ball.
It is important that these youngsters learn lessons from these high-profile matches and improve further. It is understandable that both are quite young and the nerves might have gotten to them. This match can help them develop further and become more polished footballers.
