Chelsea’s season isn’t exactly going to plan, with off-field problems adding to the team’s issues in the Premier League and domestic cup competitions. The Blues were expected to sustain a serious title challenge this year after the signing of Romelu Lukaku, who was supposed to be the missing piece of the jigsaw. The move hasn’t worked out as expected yet, and with the player already voicing his displeasure with life at the club, work will be required from both sides to make it a success.
While by no means a disastrous result, the manner of Chelsea’s EFL Cup final defeat to Liverpool left a sour taste in the mouth and opened the door to criticism of the manager. Their recent FA Cup performance away at Luton Town also caused a lot of concern due to the number of fringe players who failed to take their chances, leading many fans to start looking ahead to the summer transfer window when the club will hope ownership issues don’t affect their ability to strengthen the squad.
Goalscoring forward/winger
While some have doubted the credibility of expected goals, there is no doubt that it has changed football analysis, and it is a great place to start when trying to pinpoint the cause of Chelsea’s problems in attack. It would be easy to attribute the team’s scoring troubles to Romelu Lukaku’s failure to live up to his £101.7m transfer fee, but a quick look at his expected goals stats tell us that he has scored as many goals as would be expected from the chances he has had. Of course, this doesn’t mean he can’t get better; improving his movement in front of goal would certainly bring more goals, for example.
However, Chelsea’s other forward players have not done enough to help the Belgian forward. Yes, there is a heavy focus on making changes for the striker, but Pulisic, Havertz, Mount, Hudson Odoi or Ziyech have not made enough movements to create chances for themselves or distract others to make space for Lukaku. Also, when they do get chances, none of these players are convincing finishers, which was evident during the EFL cup final. If we compare this to Manchester City with Mahrez, Sterling and Bernardo Silva all offering a regular goal threat, it’s obvious that Chelsea need to improve in this area. Liverpool are another great example with Mane, Salah, Jota and Luis Diaz all being reliable goalscorers, despite none of them being a traditional centre forward.
Bayern Munich’s Serge Gnabry is a great option for this role who would certainly improve the team’s goal threat. The Germany international is an explosive player who has turned into an accomplished finisher in his time with the Bavarian giants. Reports suggest that he has rejected numerous contract proposals from his club in the hopes of earning more elsewhere and his current deal expires at the end of next season, meaning he could be available this summer.
Centre Midfield
The blues are well stacked in midfield at the moment with options including Jorginho, Kante, Mount, Kovacic, Loftus-Cheek, Saul and Barkley. However, with Kante and Jorginho’s contracts both up for renewal soon, and Saul unlikely to be signed permanently, it is a position that will surely need strengthening in the summer. The club will hope to tie both Kante and Jorginho down, but even if they do, both players are now on the wrong side of 30 so it would be wise to start thinking about the future. Loftus-Cheek and Barkley have both failed to live up to their potential and are likely to be sold, further increasing the need for reinforcements, although Conor Gallagher’s return from his loan at Crystal Palace will strengthen the team. West Ham’s Declan Rice is the most obvious target, and the club would do well to secure him soon as his price goes up with every impressive performance.
Defence
Tuchel’s team boast one of the best defensive records in the league, so defence isn’t an immediate area of concern. However, with Rudiger’s contract set to expire and Malang Sarr failing to convince, it is likely the club will sign a centre back in the summer. Christensen has also been continuously linked with a move away, meaning the club will need to bring in some help for the ageing Thiago Silva.
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