After the loss against the Reds at the Anfield last weekend, Chelsea fans are pointing the fingers on their goalkeeper Roberto Sanchez. As they believe due to his poor reflexes, Curtis Jones managed to score the match winning goal even after a sloppy first touch.
Yes, the ball should have been grabbed earlier by Sanchez. But if any of the Blues defenders marked Jones properly, he wouldn’t have reached the Salah’s cross in the first place. And that has been the problem with Chelsea in the past 3 years, ‘poor defending’.
In the last two seasons the Blues conceded a combined total of 110 goals in the league. Averaging 1.44 goals in every game, which is the second highest amongst the Premier League big 6. This is a really big concern for Enzo Maresca. As if this continues to happen they will not be able to fight for the top 4 spot.
One of the Athletic‘s most experienced writer Simon Johnson, who has spent the entire of his career covering Chelsea, have published an article focusing on the Blues defenders. After reading the piece, it is very clear that Simon was frustrated with the results in the Merseyside.
Chelsea’s failed investment
Simon Johnson still cannot believe that this is the same club which holds a record of conceding only 15 goals in the 2004-05 season. As they have already conceded the same numbers this season across all competitions. Since the ownership take over, the Blues have spent millions and millions to strengthen their lineup.
They do have a good attacking force now, leaded by the man himself, Cole Palmer. And their midfield also looks dependable so far, with the double pivot partnership of Caicedo and Enzo. But there is a big question mark when we talk about the Blues backline.
In the last three seasons we have seen three different cb pairs in their backline. And as of now Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill are the first choice starters this season. Under their influence the Blues have only managed to secure 2 clean sheets in 8 league games, but the only credit of that should go to the goalkeeper. As in the 1-0 victory against Bournemouth, Sanchez made some brilliant saves including a spot kick.
Simon stated that despite of spending a loads of money, Chelsea failed to find ‘the dominant pair or even the dominant individual’. On whom the club can rely on week in & week out. He further said,
“Since taking over in May 2022, more than £185million ($241m) has been spent by the Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium on Kalidou Koulibaly, Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Axel Disasi and Renato Veiga. Signing Tosin Adarabioyo on a free transfer and promoting Levi Colwill from the academy has added to the strength in depth.”
Can the Blues rely on the young defenders?
But there is still something missing despite of investing so much on these top quality players. Despite of criticizing the defenders, Simon still believes they have some ‘good raw talent’ in their squad. He particularly mentioned the names of academy graduate Colwill and summer signing Renato Veiga. But they are still very young and will need time to improve.
The lack of a experienced central defender is the problem for the Blues right now. As the average age of Chelsea’s backline is 23, where only Tosin Adarabioyo is on the other side of 25. So, they definitely need someone reliable next to those youngsters in tough games. And as of now only 28 year old German powerhouse Jonathan Tah is linked with the Blues. If they manage to steal Tah on a free transfer next summer then most of their problems will be solved. But as of now Bayern Munich is the most likely destination for the Leverkusen ace.
A trusted source on WalkOn.comA trusted source on ChelseaNews.com
For more football updates, make sure to follow us on:
