Chelsea's major issue isn't just scoring goals. It's stopping them from going in! It seems like so long ago that Chelsea continues to struggle with their defence nowadays. Once upon a time, the Blues had no issues with keeping clean sheets. Thomas Tuchels men were the kings of locking out their opponents with their unbreakable back five made up of Thiago Silva and Antonio Rudiger at centre-back.
Wolverhampton visited a newly owned Stamford Bridge and held the home side to a 2-2 draw. It took a last-second goal from Conor Coady to seal Wolves' point and wipe the smile off of a Chelsea fan's face.
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Firstly, I must congratulate Romelu Lukaku, who scored both goals for Chelsea. The Belgian was given a rare start, and he delivered. A left-footed penalty and a cool goal sent the Blues 2-0 up after 58 minutes. All Chelsea needed to do was remain calm and remain in control. Neither plan was executed. The same old story overshadowed Lukaku's efforts.
With two goals chalked off by VAR, the Blues needed to bury every chance they could take. Loose passes and aimless shots eventually came back to haunt us. It was not until the 79th minute that Francisco Trincao was able to hit the back of the net. Before his goal, Wolves became extremely dominant in possession. The lack of composure in the midfield helped the Wanderers reach their optimum peak. I cannot say that the first goal was not to be expected.
Chelsea has averaged one clean sheet per month at home since the turn of the year. Our ground is no longer the fortress that the likes of Jose Mourinho once made it. Conceding four goals to Arsenal and Brentford was painful. However, nothing hurts more than conceding a last-second goal.
Chelsea has the same defence as last season, the same coach, and the same playing style. What could truly be the issue? Why are they having trouble keeping the lead or preventing themselves from concerning unnecessarily? It all comes back down to one thing. They need a new midfield, and they need it asap. Jorginho and N'Golo Kante were the two that missed out on the game due to injury. Most notably, when Jorginho is absent or not at his best, the team struggle with possession and domination. When he is not available, the option is usually for Ruben Loftus-Cheek or Mateo Kovacic to fill his shoes.
It's not easy to fill the shoes of Jorginho. He is such a niche footballer who can probably calm a storm with his sense of control. When he is not available, we need a midfielder who is capable of controlling the tempo, or at least capable of sitting just in front of the defence so that our lines are not exposed.
Arsenal faces Leeds on Sunday and could close the gap to Chelsea to just 1 point. I do not doubt that Chelsea can make the top four, but I worry that the noisy north Londoners could overtake our 3rd spot.
