What Chelsea just did in the Brighton defeat for the first time in over three years
In a season of ups and downs so far, Chelsea’s 3-0 defeat away to Brighton is certainly in the mix for the poorest result to date.
Chelsea were comprehensively beaten at the Amex Stadium on Friday night by an opponent that have had their number in the last week.
First, the Blues were dumped out of the FA Cup after losing 2-1 away to Brighton. They’ve just followed it up with a 3-0 defeat in the Premier League clash.
The Chelsea player ratings versus Brighton flagged so many poor individual contributions, including from an attack that offered very little at the top end of the pitch.
Chelsea did something against Brighton for the first time in over three years
Chelsea’s loss at Brighton was extremely poor on the eye test. Therefore, it’s no real surprise to see the statistics support that.
OptaJoe data has recorded that Chelsea actually registered zero shots on target during Friday’s defeat at Brighton.
Remarkably, it’s the first time in over three years that the Blues haven’t managed a shot on goal in a Premier League match. The last time it happened was the 25 September 2021 versus Manchester City.
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca watched his side set the unwanted attacking record in the Brighton game. It’s a clear reminder that his forward line isn’t clicking into gear like they were in the early months of the season.
The Blues operated with Cole Palmer as the No 10 and Christopher Nkunku as the central striker in Friday’s defeat. It’s clear that the duo struggle to play in the same XI, though.
Gary Neville said Palmer and Nkunku were “useless” in Chelsea’s defeat to Brighton as a combination at the top end of the pitch.
The problems in Chelsea’s attack
The reality is there are quite a few issues with the Blues as an attacking force right now.
While they’ve scored goals at a decent rate over the course of the season, it’s obvious they’ve become quite predictable in recent times. If Palmer isn’t producing the magic, you do worry about where the goals will come from.
Obviously, the team looks dysfunctional without Nicolas Jackson or Marc Guiu starting as the central striker. Jackson won’t be back for Chelsea until April due to his injury, too.
Elsewhere, we’re not seeing enough contributions from Chelsea’s wide players. The likes of Noni Madueke, Jadon Sancho and Pedro Neto don’t provide the sort of goal threat they should be giving with their individual talent.
| Player | Appearances | Goals |
| Cole Palmer | 25 | 14 |
| Nicolas Jackson | 23 | 9 |
| Noni Madueke | 23 | 7 |
| Enzo Fernandez | 23 | 3 |
| Jadon Sancho | 19 | 2 |
| Marc Cucurella | 23 | 2 |
| Pedro Neto | 22 | 2 |
| Christopher Nkunku | 21 | 2 |
In the upcoming games, we’d love to see the Blues wingers encouraged to flood the penalty box more often with inside runs.
from Latest Chelsea News and Updates - The Chelsea Chronicle https://ift.tt/Ut0ZNYf
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