Chelsea had been unable to regain their kind after shedding in midweek and drew 0-0 away with Bournemouth.
The Cherries had been the higher staff and pissed off Enzo Maresca’s facet, who’re searching for their first Premier League win since beating Burnley on the finish of November.
Regardless of having a near-full squad, with Cole Palmer beginning for the primary time since September 20, Chelsea lacked momentum going ahead. He took simply 11 photographs and had an anticipated aim of simply 0.88xG.
The Blues additionally had issues from the beginning, with a aim by Bournemouth attacker Antoine Semenyo canceled out early within the match. A extreme offside on striker Evanilsson had the aim dominated out, giving Chelsea an early lifeline.
There was additionally unhealthy information for the West Londoners on the harm entrance, with Liam Delap despatched off after simply 32 minutes. He suffered a shoulder harm, with BBC Sport reporting a doable shoulder dislocation. Chelsea’s quantity 9 might be sidelined for as much as 4 months on account of the difficulty.
It was a giant day within the workplace for Chelsea as Enzo Fernandes put in a forgettable efficiency.
Fernandes’ stats in opposition to Bournemouth
Chelsea are once more with out Fernandes’ regular midfield associate Moises Caicedo after receiving a crimson card in opposition to Arsenal final weekend. It was a tricky day for the 2022 World Cup winners in opposition to an brisk Cherries midfield.
The truth is, with out Caicedo subsequent to him, the Argentine midfielder actually had much less work to do in the midst of the park and had extra defensive duties than if he had been paired with the Ecuadorian.
The statistics of Fernandes’ efficiency mirror how robust the afternoon was for him defensively. In response to Sofascore, he received solely 5 of 11 video games, dedicated 2 fouls and had his solely deal with not received. It was actually a day the place he struggled off the ball.
Soccer London journalist Bobby Vincent additionally criticized Chelsea’s quantity eight. He mentioned Fernandes “seems to be drained” in the intervening time, however added that it was “comprehensible” given the quantity of soccer he has performed this season.
However the 35-cap Argentina worldwide wasn’t the one one preventing for the folks of West London.
Chelsea’s worst participant vs Bournemouth
It was an unforgettable day for left-back Marc Cucurella. The Spaniard is generally a really dependable full-back and calm participant in his place, however he was wasted in opposition to the South Coast facet and carried out removed from his greatest.
The previous Barcelona star was surprisingly sloppy in possession. He was continuously concerned with the ball, touching it 69 occasions, however shedding the ball 17 occasions.
He solely received 50% of his duels with out possession of the ball.
Key stats in opposition to Bournemouth | |
|---|---|
standing | quantity |
contact | 69 |
Variety of ball misplaced | 17 |
Cross accuracy | 80% |
received an aerial battle | 2/4 |
Gained a floor duel | 1/2 |
A possibility has arisen | 1 |
Couch rating statistics | |
One one who did not appear too impressed with the defender’s efficiency on the Vitality Stadium was Vincent. He gave Cucurella’s work on the afternoon south a ranking of 6/10 and described his efficiency as “not particular”.
The competitors is getting more durable for Chelsea. They’ve had a busy festive interval, competing within the Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup.
Will probably be fascinating to see if Maresca retains Cucurella within the facet, given his poor efficiency in opposition to Bournemouth and his lack of video games.
Jorel Hato is a pure back-up left-back, however he hasn’t performed a lot this season. Reece James and Maro Gusto may additionally characteristic in that facet.
How Maresca manages the health of his most vital gamers this month can be key to their kind. Provides the Blues supervisor a chance to relaxation and rotate after Cucurella’s poor efficiency.
Shades of Sterling and Mudryk: Maresca must again out of Chelsea’s ‘pointless contract’
The highly-rated attacker has did not make an impression to date this season.
