Selfish Sterling way down list of Chelsea problems as Pochettino should ask Santa for new back four
aheem Sterling should have passed it, Armando Broja and Nicolas Jackson were awful, but incredibly, it’s the Chelsea defence that’s now the biggest concern. There’s still time to change your Christmas list, Poch.
Raheem Sterling was the only Chelsea player on the pitch, other than the two centre-backs, with a positive ‘non-penalty goals minus non-penalty expected goals’ score this season. He’s scored 78 more Premier League goals than his ten teammates combined. He had seen Armando Broja and Nicolas Jackson fluff their lines in a half hour of football in which he looked head and shoulders above anyone else on the pitch. None of that excuses him.
Just pass it, mate. Through on goal with Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson alongside him, Sterling’s shot was comfortably saved by Jose Sa. Palmer, like everyone watching, could not believe his teammate’s greed.
Chelsea had been on top up to that point – fluent even – with Sterling’s pace, Palmer’s passing and the two strikers’ runs in behind causing Wolves problems. But in typical Chelsea style, they failed to make their dominance count, increasing their lead at the top of the ‘Big Chances Missed’ charts – that’s now 36 this season, or two per game. Just pass it, mate.
Buoyed by Chelsea’s inability to convert a chance yer da would have made the most of after third helpings of turkey and a bottle of Baileys, the Wolves players responded, putting pressure on the Blues centre-backs to the point where the entire team gave up on defending.
Toti Gomes saw his free header at the back post saved by Djordje Petrovic before Mario Lemina quite literally stood still from a corner to nod the ball past the Serbian.
The goal besides, the Wolves players were able to force mistakes by doing little more than standing in the vicinity of their opponents, who collectively forgot how to control the ball on a day in which Chelsea’s defensive fragility more than matched their profligacy in front of goal.
The defence is more of a concern than the attack right now.
Though there’s no guarantee a £100m striker will come in and score goals, that is an obvious solution to their attacking woes. Christopher Nkunku’s debut, capped with a fine header, provided cause for optimism, as did the strong and direct running of Noni Madueke. It’s a wonder he’s not been used more by Mauricio Pochettino.
Such is the range of attacking options, assuming the owners do indeed sign a big-money striker in January or the summer, it feels like Pochettino – or whomever else might be managing Chelsea Football Club – will have to work quite hard not to stumble on a solution that works.
2 минуты
25 декабря 2023