Chelsea will enter the World Cup break on the back of three consecutive Premier League defeats for the first time since 2005, after they slumped to a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Newcastle on Saturday. The result leaves Graham Potter's side eight in the table, eight points off Spurs who occupy the final Champions League spot.
Former Arsenal man Joe Willock struck the only goal of the game mid-way through the second half with a sumptuous curling effort that gave Edouard Mendy no chance, while Chelsea's best effort came from Conor Gallagher, who forced Nick Pope into a diving save just minutes before the goal.
Following the defeat, which was the Blues' fifth since Potter arrived at the club, the former Brighton boss was keen to not overreact, pointing to the several injuries in the squad and the challenging schedule which has seen Chelsea play tough fixtures as two of the reasons for their poor form.
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"It's not nice to not get results. It's as simple as that but I have to look at why that is and the situation that we've had to deal with. It hasn't been straightforward at all, he said. We've had a lot of games, a few injuries to key players, destabilised us, today again you see they're missing," said Potter.
"Just had a period that's been incredibly challenging. You face four of the teams in the best moment in the Premier League in terms of the version of themselves and that can challenge you as well. As much as we can't accept it, we have to deal with it and try to move forward."
Many of the Chelsea stars will be heading to the World Cup with Raheem Sterling, who was absent from the matchday squad through illness, Conor Gallagher and Mason Mount set to be representing England at the tournament.
The latter of those was clearly not pleased with how his team performed and took to social media, openly admitting Chelsea have not been good enough and set a plan in place for what they will do once they are back from the World Cup.
On Instagram, Mount said: "We haven’t played to the level we expect of ourselves as Chelsea. You all deserve more from us. When we’re back from the World Cup, we are getting straight back to it and pushing ourselves to a higher level. We have the best fans in the country and we will make you proud this season. MM."
Chelsea's first game back after the 2022 World Cup is against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Boxing Day.
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