Chelsea 2-2 West Ham: Five Talking Points

#2 Chelsea look to have given up

With Eden Hazard’s injury and Diego Costa’s suspension, Chelsea fielded a weaker than normal starting lineup and it showed. Most of the players, except the youth, failed to turn up at the first half and it took Andy Carroll’s second-half goal for some of the players to spring into life. Willian, especially, was a player who was vastly improved after the break.

Chelsea’s defensive problems have failed to iron themselves out and the situation is unlikely to improve under Hiddink’s tenure. The midfield is now lacking the dynamism that we saw in the early quarters of Guus’s second coming, with Oscar in particular unrecognizable from the player we saw 18 months ago.

The Brazilian’s fall from grace has been staggering and his inconsistency has been incredible for a player of his calibre. Meanwhile, John Obi Mikel has been serviceable but he still has his limitations and Chelsea require Nemanja Matic back to his best or a suitable replacement going into the next season.

Finally, despite having an incredible five players who identify as first team centre forwards at the club, Chelsea’s striking depth is starting to look increasingly threadbare and overreliant on Diego Costa who is prone to injuries and suspensions. Bertrand Traore is very young and has not properly adjusted to Premier League football; Loic Remy’s 18 months of mostly bench time seems to have had it’s toll and the player is having a major crisis in confidence.

Also, it is looking more and more unlikely whether we will see Alexandre Pato in a Chelsea given that Hiddink opted to send Loftus-Cheek on the pitch instead of him when chasing a goal. And then, you encounter Radamel Falcao.

7 games still remain in the season, but it looks they will be a grim watch for Chelsea fans.