Chelsea's season has been nothing short of a nightmare. Despite spending £600million on new signings and changing the manager twice, the Blues have shown no signs of improvement as they sit closer to the relegation zone than the top four.
Frank Lampard was brought in as caretaker manager earlier this month but there has been no 'new manager bounce' at Stamford Bridge. Instead, things have arguably got worse for Chelsea after they have now suffered three straight defeats in all competitions and not won in their last six fixtures.
The Blues did end their dismal run of games without a goal after Conor Gallagher's deflected effort found the back of the net against Brighton. The Seagulls eventually punished Chelsea for their performance on Saturday afternoon and came back to win 2-1 as Lampard admitted the visitors beat the Blues in doing the basics and deserved to win on his homecoming to Stamford Bridge.
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Amidst the shocking performances this season, a worrying stat has emerged that is in desperate need of correcting if Chelsea are to start moving up the table and performing well again. Following the 2-1 defeat against Brighton, every Chelsea player has now dropped below 1.0 per 90 minutes for winning possession of the ball back in the Premier League this season - the worst record in the English top-flight.
The inability to win back possession leads to conceding chances and contributes to the defeats and poor performances the Blues have suffered this season. Whilst the lack of goals in the team is a huge issue, Chelsea are not showing any fight or effort to stop their opposition from enjoying time on the ball against them.
N'Golo Kante - who is the Blues' most reliable player when it comes to winning the ball back and breaking up play - has been absent for most of the season and only recently returned to action. The Frenchman cannot be solely relied upon to carry out this job for the team with the stat highlighting a deeper issue at the club which suggests there is little fight within the squad.
This is something that Todd Boehly may not be able to correct in the transfer market meaning the responsibility to improve this area of performance falls on Lampard's shoulders. If anyone can emphasise the need to fight for the club you represent and show the fans what it means to play for Chelsea, it's him.
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