Opinion: 5 Chelsea players who are costing Chelsea a lot in the race for top four

Chelsea seem to have struggled again in maintaining consistencies after some impressive runs in early April. The Blues recorded 3 consecutive-clean sheets (all win) before got hammered by Liverpool in the Premier League.

Liverpool dominated them from possession to the number of shoots and, Eden Hazard seemed to be the only Chelsea player who wanted to win the match. The London side are now slipping again on the top 4 race after they failed to secure a win against Burnley.

Chelsea have recorded 3 embarrassing loses without scoring with further 2 draws in their last 10 Premier League matches. Here we will take a look at 5 players who have recently flopped and could ultimately cost Maurizio Sarri the golden chance to secure the Champions League spot.

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#5 N'golo Kante

Kante hasn't registered more than one goal since early February.

Kante was surely the best player for Chelsea's midfield when he played as a defensive midfielder under Conte last season. However, Sarri has stripped the Frenchman of his preferred position following the arrival of Jorginho.

Sarri should has realized that using Kante in his unnatural position would bear a huge risk. His productivity might have improved significantly in his new role but, he has just registered a single goal with no assist since early February and, his goal drought has costed the Blues dearly in the tight top 4 race.

He has not contributed a lot defensively compared to last season due to his more advanced role. As a box-to-box midfielder, he would become a liability for Chelsea when he cannot contribute much to the team's attacks.

He was one of Chelsea's worst players when the Blues lost against Everton and Manchester City in the league. He also flopped against Wolverhampton and, he was virtually not contributing to Chelsea's defense when the club conceded 2 goals from Burnley. This negative trend will continue if Sarri keeps playing him at his current position.

#4 David Luiz

Luiz has gradually faded after a bright start to the season.

Luiz was frozen out and seemed to be on the verge of leaving the Stamford Bridge after a tense situation with Antonio Conte last season. He has now seen some resurgence on his career since Sarri decided to return him to the starting position.

However, he has gradually faded after a bright start of the season. He has been one of the main sources of Chelsea's inconsistency as his awful defending has costed the Blues dearly on several occasions. He has been directly at fault for several of his opponent's goal even since last November.

He might have been useful on attacks due to his excellent passing and great productivity but he has ultimately left Chelsea with only Antonio Rudiger as a reliable center back. Chelsea did not attack much and got heavily pressed when facing a tougher opponent such as Liverpool and Manchester City. Hence, Luiz has constantly been the club's liability in these situations.

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#3 Jorginho

Sarri has kept Jorginho in what the public sees as Kante's position.

The Italian midfielder has been pretty much a regular scapegoat for Chelsea faithful this season. The public has relentlessly urged Sarri to return Kante to the Frenchman's natural position which has now been occupied by Jorginho.

The former Napoli star's defensive capability is woeful and no match for Kante's. Many have also accused him of always passing back or sideways without any meaningful deliveries. His productivity is lacking even for a deep-lying midfielder as he has scored just 2 goals and got no assists despite fully featuring in nearly all of Chelsea's matches this season.

He was the core of Sarri's attacking style at Napoli and was meant to introduce Sarri-ball to the London outfit when the Blues bought him for a massive £57 million. Unfortunately, he has pretty much failed to provide the base for Chelsea to implement that beautiful attacking system.

#2 Marcos Alonso

With 6 bookings so far in this season's league, Alonso's disciplinary record is woeful.

Sarri stated that Alonso could be the best left-back in the world at the beginning of the season after the player scored a goal and provided an assist against Arsenal. However, he gradually lost his form and now even losing his starting place to Emerson.

He has shown a glimpse of improvement in recent matches but that is surely not enough to save Chelsea from slipping down in the league. He is deemed too slow and his opponents could easily beat him in 1-on-1 situations. His passing and crossing have been awful and these missed deliveries have left his teammates frustrated sometimes.

He has not become much of a help for the Blues's attack as he has contributed just 1 assist in the Premier League since mid-November. His disciplinary record is woeful due to him getting booked 6 times in the league throughout the season. He is currently a liability for the club and Chelsea should seriously consider selling him in the summer.

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#1 Gonzalo Higuain

Higuain has struggled to cope with Premier League football.

Chelsea seem to have made the worst decision in the Premier League this season for loaning Alvaro Morata and opting for Higuain instead to fill their striker role. At the very least, Morata has scored 5 league goals and given 1 assist for Atletico (although Diego Simeone benched him on several occasions).

Higuain, however, has been awful throughout the season in the Premier League despite having more minutes than his Spanish counterpart. He has only scored 4 goals and all of them against Premier League weaklings such as Burnley, Fulham, and Huddersfield.

He was undoubtedly one of the most lethal strikers and probably the best in Serie A when he still played at Napoli. Unfortunately, he has now struggled to cope with Premier League's physical demand. He has transformed into a sluggish player who has often become easy prey for the opposition's defender.