With a 0-0 scoreline at Stamford Bridge and the ability to bring on almost £190million of talent, it's little wonder that many pundits at the start of the season thought the depth at Chelsea's disposal could see them turn into a true Premier League contender. When Romelu Lukaku, Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic were introduced against West ham, it was a statement of a luxury that Thomas Tuchel has at his disposal.
With the announcement of each signing from that trio it was hoped the player would arrive or develop into a player with a cemented role in Chelsea's starting XI. Against the Hammers, the likes of Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Mason Mount assumed the forward roles in the team, to keep the trio out of the side.
While a number of those figures may not have established themselves in west London as planned, the talent available cannot be denied. That group have scored the bulk of Chelsea's goals this season, and along with Callum Hudson-Odoi, offer Tuchel a number of different combination to take advantage of.
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Ziyech and Pulisic were among Chelsea's form players in support of Havertz at the beginning of 2022 but have struggled for as many minutes due to Timo Werner's strong form. Cesar Azpilicueta noted that the American winger has not had the minutes he might have hoped, but his work in training has been noticeable.
The Blues captain said following the win over West Ham: "Amazing ball by Marcos, a good cut back and great finish. That is the way we were creating chances, arriving in the box and crossing the ball, arriving from the second line and of course it was a big impact from Christian, Romelu and Hakim as well. They gave us a different spirit, we are a team and we have to go through these moments together. We need help from everybody.
"I am really pleased for Christian. Lately he has not had a lot of minutes but he has been working really hard. He got the reward, and hopefully he can keep going in this direction."
While the impact on Sunday was clear, whether Chelsea have depth that is sustainable is more up for debate. Long term injuries to Ben Chilwell and Reece James have had an understandable impact on the Blues' season, while the festive period presented struggles for the squad due to injuries and Covid-19 that resulted in a drop in form. Following more recent defeats to Brentford, Real Madrid and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge, with the latter including the absence of Antonio Rudiger through injury, the weekend's late win was especially sweet for Azpilicueta
He said: "If we go through everything there are also little things that can happen, the results as well as the confidence. We have a lot of injuries as well right now but we have to deal with it. It is not an excuse. As I always say at the start of every season, we go for everything.
"Sometimes the consequences of arriving at the latter stages of every competition is that you play more games. We have to cope with it as we are competitors, and after the bad run we have had at home, conceding a lot of goals, it is nice to leave with a happy face."
Those words hint at drop offs in form that Chelsea have suffered, that the teams above them in the Premier League have not. Manchester City and Liverpool and retained their place in the Champions League while battling for England's top flight title despite stretches of the season without their most important players including the likes of Ruben Dias and Mo Salah.
The Blues were linked to strengthening their midfield and defence last summer, while signing a wing-back would have been a consideration during January. The loan deal for Saul from Atletico Madrid was the only step they took in relation to these concerns and with Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen set to depart, and N'Golo Kante and Jorginho's contracts set to expire in 2023 - Chelsea's depth is set to take another hit.
The Blues' bench included the likes of Malang Sarr, Kenedy, Ross Barkley and Saul Niguez against West Ham. A group of players practically guaranteed to not be in Chelsea's starting XI next season, and perhaps not among the Blues' preferred second choices. It's in great contrast to Liverpool being able to rely upon the likes of Joe Gomez, Luis Diaz and Ibrahima Konate. Even Divock Origi has stepped up in the biggest moments in spite of being relegated to a similar role to the aforementioned Chelsea stars.
The financial commitment towards Chelsea's forward line - in the region of £300million since 2019 - shows the difficult task to secure convincing depth. Manchester City's quest to firm up their options across the backline has seen them sign seven defenders for more than £40million each since Pep Guardiola arrived at the club.
It sets a difficult task for the Blues to remain at the top. If Chelsea's next owner wants success they will need to provide financial backing to compete at the top. The west London club have seen that is no guarantee that a player will hit the ground running so astute signings will need to be made, and the academy will need to continue to thrive. Thomas Tuchel and Chelsea are playing catch-up and the current sanctions are only exacerbating that problem with inability to negotiate contracts or transfers. The Blues will need to be successful in all areas of recruitment to narrow the gap to the very top.
