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Chelsea are in good flow this season and have lost just twice in all competitions. The Blues have been doing well against clubs they usually struggle to beat. All the players seem to be contributing well. Chelsea have 15 different goalscorers this season in the Premier League already.
However, Thomas Tuchel has a few players in the squad who need to step up big time. The manager will be looking for more from the underperformers. He will need everyone to be at their best to win trophies this season.
Here are 5 Chelsea players who have underperformed so far this season:
#5 - Hakim Ziyech
Hakim Ziyech has been highly inconsistent since he joined Chelsea last year from Ajax. The Moroccan finds his feet in one game but then manages to do the basics wrong in the next one.
The same has been going on over the last few months and Tuchel will be keen to get more out of the former Ajax star. The forward has had just one assist in the league this season despite making six appearances.
In the Champions League, the story is not a lot different. Ziyech has a goal and an assist to his name from the four matches he has played for Chelsea.
Reports suggest Ziyech will be looking to leave Chelsea in January as he is unhappy with his game time. However, if he is not delivering when he is on the pitch, it will be hard to blame Tuchel if the Moroccan forces a move away.
#4 - Romelu Lukaku
Chelsea signed Romelu Lukaku for a club-record fee of £97.5 million this summer as they desperately needed a striker. The Blues were keen on getting Thomas Tuchel the players he wants to challenge for more trophies this season.
When Lukaku debuted against Arsenal and scored, it seemed like the missing piece in the Chelsea puzzle was found. However, he has found the back of the net in just one game post his debut. That was a double in a 3-0 win over Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge.
The Belgian has been out injured for the last few games. But a return of three goals in eight Premier League games is below par for a player like him. Lukaku will now be looking to hit the ground running and get on the scoresheet a lot more.
Tuchel is likely to switch to a 3-5-2 to accommodate Lukaku and Werner in the team and that could help Lukaku a lot.
#3 - Kai Havertz
Fitting Kai Havertz into the Chelsea starting XI was the big headache Thomas Tuchel had at the start of the season. That was eased when Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku got injured in the same game.
Havertz was put into the side as a centre-forward but the German has delivered far from acceptable performances. He has scored just two goals this season. They were both crucial ones as he scored in the 1-1 draws against Liverpool and Burnley.
However, in terms of overall performance, Havertz has a lot more to do. There might not be a place for him in the starting XI if he does not step up quickly.
#2 - Timo Werner
Timo Werner's case is one for the ages. The German was in red-hot form in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig. Clubs around Europe were keen on luring him into their teams. Chelsea won the race in 2020 and it seemed as if they had got their forward for the foreseeable future.
Things have been the exact opposite since his debut as he has been in highly inconsistent form. Werner makes the right runs, finds passes quickly, and makes space for his teammates to work with. However, when it comes to shooting, the German is at a point where he could miss an open goal from a yard out.
Thomas Tuchel needs to work closely with Werner over the next few months. They need him to get a few goals under his belt quickly if he is to regain his confidence. It is no longer a case of a dip in form for the German as it seems his confidence is sinking further down.
#1 - Saul Niguez
Saul Niguez was signed on loan this summer with a lot of promise. A few top clubs across Europe were looking to sign him from Atletico Madrid but failed to agree a deal for one reason or the other.
Chelsea eventually landed the Spaniard on deadline day with minutes remaining. However, he has not done anything that could convert that loan deal into a permanent one.
The Atletico Madrid star crumbled under pressure on his Premier League debut against Aston Villa and was taken off by Tuchel at half-time. He has since made just five appearances for Chelsea. Only one of those performances has been anywhere close to what a first-team player at Stamford Bridge is expected to do.
From the look of things, there is a very good chance of Saul getting shipped back in January. There is almost a 100% certainty that Chelsea will not be signing him permanently next summer.
