Blunt upfront.
Chelsea travelled to Turin to play Juventus for what would turn out to be a tough day at the office. Allegri selected a lineup as predicted but chose no traditional striker up front and instead played Chiesa, Bernardeschi, and Cuadrado up front. A midfield 3 that sat back also flushed out the midfield for Juventus. Tuchel returned to a 3-4-3 for this game. Mendy started in goal with a back three of Christensen, Silva, and Rudiger. Azpilicueta, and Alonso started as the wing backs with Jorginho, and Kovacic as the midfielders. Ziyech, Havertz, and Lukaku started up front. Interesting decisions from Tuchel.
The first 20 minutes saw Chelsea dominate the game in terms of possession but we didn’t manage to create any clear cut chances except one where Lukaku hit his shot straight at Szczesny. Juventus grew into the game on the counter and were it not for poor forward passes they could have had a 2 or 3 goal lead going into the 2nd half. A frustrating affair for Tuchel.
The 2nd half saw Tuchel bring on Chilwell for Alonso but we conceded right from kick-off as Chiesa scored to put Juventus ahead. Loftus-Cheek, Chalobah, and Hudson-Odoi came on to get Chelsea back into the game. Lukaku saw a header go wide. Lukaku then was played through by Barkley and he blazed his shot over the goal. Havertz then had two opportunities via headers but they both went above goal. The game ended with Juventus celebrating a good defensive performance and a win.
Chelsea Team Review
Goalkeeper
No clean sheet for Mendy. The goal was not his fault and he was largely left undisturbed for much of this game. Not much to talk about.
Defenders
Christensen had a good game at the back while Silva, and Rudiger were also pretty good. Azpilicueta and Alonso were too one dimensional in their forward play and Alonso in particular was frustrating in his decision making. Chilwell did well when he came on and he managed to peg that right hand side of Juventus. Chalobah also came on and played as a defensive midfielder and was quite decent. The conceded goal was a lapse in concentration which is unlike this defence.
Midfielders
Jorginho and Kovacic don’t seem to be their metronomic selves. Both made several sloppy passes in the midfield and it is hard to understand why. Loftus-Cheek played well when he came on and he is nearing a start against Southampton for sure. Barkley could have got an assist if Lukaku had finished. The midfield really missed Mount for this game as the pressing and dynamism from the front was non existent.
Forwards
Ziyech and Havertz were not great and it’s a head scratcher to ask why. Ziyech was sloppy in his pressing in the first half while Havertz just looks deflated at the moment. Lukaku was quite for much of the game and we need to figure out how to play with him in the team. Play to Lukaku’s strengths. Lukaku did get two chances though and went wide with them which was not great. Hudson-Odoi came on in the 2nd half and showed initiative but he is restricted on the right hand side for sure.
Manager
Thomas Tuchel does not need to panic and Chelsea do not need to panic. It is a slump in form and we really haven’t started the season in our normal standards. Defensively we are still quite good it is up front where Tuchel needs to solve a problem that has existed since 2017. How do we start scoring goals? Homework for the German.
Chelsea sit 2nd in the group on goal difference as we face Southampton on Saturday. That is a major game now because we will want to head into the international break with a good performance over 90 minutes and a win. We need to start clicking up front. COME ON CHELSEA!!!
Park The Bus 