Booes reigned down at Stamford Bridge at full time as Chelsea's failing attack fell to Southampton's desperate defence. The Saints kept just their second clean sheet of the season against the Blues as James Ward-Prowse's free kick ensured the visitor claimed an important 1-0 victory for interim-boss Ruben Selles.
The Blues endured a lacklustre first half where they went behind before seeing Raheem Sterling denied on multiple occasions in the second period. As Chelsea searched for an equaliser they saw Cesar Azpilicueta stretchered off after an extensive period down having been kicked in the head by Sekou Mara. The Chelsea captain was sent to hospital as a result.
Hands-on bowed heads and shirts pulled up Chelsea players' faces contrasted sharply with the jubilation emerging in Southampton shirts at full-time. Graham Potter's side have recorded just a single win in 2023 so far.
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football.london takes at what can be learned from the defeat.
Rest and rotation might not always work
As had been rumoured from the night before, it quickly became clear when Denis Zakaria and David Datro Fofana were the first players out, ahead of Ben Chilwell, to inspect the Chelsea pitch, that Reece James was not part of the Chelsea squad. The wingback made the trip to Stamford Bridge but along with Thiago Silva, Marc Cucurella, Hakim Ziyech and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, was not among Potter's options on Saturday afternoon.
The Blues boss explained ahead of the game: "No, we don't have any injuries, we are just using this as a chance to rest a few players who have a little bit of fatigue. It's the circumstances we find ourselves in and we just have to be careful with those players. We've picked a side that we feel can be fresh and be powerful against a team fighting for the points."
Rather than providing a fresh start to the match, Chelsea struggled to find any degree of fluency with any positive moment being in isolation. The likes of Noni Madueke and Fofana had some accomplished runs, but there was not much in the way of cohesion.
Potter made six changes for the match, and in the form of SIlva and James in particular, perhaps it was too many changes all at once rather than a more staggered offering.
However, the volume of players not in the squad has once again only highlighted the number of disappointed players Chelsea will have each week. The Blues head coach will be left to rotate those who miss out as much as his starting XI.
The importance of Thiago Silva
The quality of Thiago Silva is not something unknown to anyone who has watched Chelsea in the last two seasons. However, it became starkly apparent he was not on the field in the early stages of the game against Southampton.
Benoit Badiashile did not initially cut the same secure figure he had alongside the Brazilian as he gave away the ball in a crucial position as was fortunate that Kepa Arrizabalaga made a good save. Likewise, Koulibaly, who impressed against Borussia Dortmund, was found lacking in his timing and was lucky to not be sent off before he was substituted at half time. A vulnerability that has not been apparent in recent weeks was present.
Wesley Fofana's halftime introduction did bring an additional layer of security, though Chelsea were more in control of the game. The Frenchman quickly looked at home in the backline and was on the front foot in his defensive actions.
While Potter would have likely left Fofana on the bench with the intention of not rushing his return from injury, the young defender has hinted that he may be required for 90 minutes if Silva is to be rested again. It was not an entirely polished outing but a promising return.
Chelsea's forwards worse than Saints' defence
When looking to the fixture against Southampton it was impossible to not consider it an opportunity. The Saints were without a permanent head coach, bottom of the Premier League table and crucially, they had conceded 40 goals in the Premier League.
Chelsea have not been productive in front of goal having only managed to find the net 23 times in the division but having created a host of opportunities against Borussia Dortmund, will have been confident of beating Gavin Bazunu. The glovesman ensured that Conor Gallagher didn't find a late equaliser with a good save but it increasingly feels like Chelsea are not destined to score.
The Blues have not scored from 38 shots in two matches and have beaten a goalkeeper once in their last five games. It's becoming more unbelievable with many having started celebrating when Sterling saw his goalbound effort cleared by Romain Perraud. A problem that quickly needs resolution.
A difficult argument for Graham Potter to make
Regardless of the situation, the Blues boss has made it clear that fans are entitled to their opinion even if he disagrees with it. The 1-0 defeat to Southampton feels like a moment that may have turned a large proportion of Chelsea supporters that will have defended Potter in recent weeks. The Blues boss has faith in himself, but without three points he will struggle to be convincing.
He said: “After a 1-0 defeat at home, any criticism you get is understandable. I think we’ve had a tough period and I think we’ve had lots of challenges in terms of integrating young players into the Premier League. While results don’t go your way it can be tough, that is how it is.
"I’m sure there will be people out there that think I’m the problem, absolutely. I don’t think they’re right but I’m not arrogant enough to say their opinion isn’t worth articulating. My job is to help the team, keep working through a team period, we’ve had to make some changes today and the truth is we took a step back in our performance in the first half. The response in the second half was good, but it wasn’t good enough.”
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