Not everyone was impressed with Chelsea’s win against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, with Micah Richards criticising one aspect of their performance.
In the end, Chelsea won comfortably after putting three goals past Forest at the City Ground.
Josh Acheampong, Pedro Neto and Reece James were the goalscorers on the day, with the first of that trio netting for the first time in his senior career.
Enzo Maresca highlighted how Chelsea fought for their clean sheet towards the end of the game. Yet Richards was very critical of their defending.
The Chelsea team in a huddle pre-match before facing Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Micah Richards slams Chelsea’s defending at the City Ground
Richards knows a lot about defending, playing at right-back for both Manchester City and England during his playing days.
And the defending that he saw from Chelsea in their game against Forest left him far from impressed.
Speaking to BBC Sport during the match, the retired England international said: “Chelsea have been terrible at the back, they haven’t had a clean sheet in the Premier League since August. You can tell something isn’t right there, they’ve been making too many mistakes.
“Forest look better than they have been and they’ve had the clearest chances. But I worry for them that missing those chances could come back to bite them as Chelsea take the lead.”
The most important thing is that Chelsea were able to pick up from where they left off before the international break.
They beat Liverpool 2-1, meaning that they have now won two consecutive matches in the Premier League.
Last week, Richards also spoke about Frank Lampard, claiming that the Chelsea legend would be valued so much higher if he played today.
Pundit Micah Richards being animated
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
What the numbers say about Chelsea’s performance against Nottingham Forest
While Chelsea were able to beat Forest and keep a clean sheet, Richards is right to have some concerns about their backline.
According to Sofascore, Forest registered an xG of 2.35, which was actually higher than Chelsea’s (1.67.)
They also created four big chances and had 12 shots. Ultimately, Forest should have scored against Enzo Maresca’s side.
Had they been clinical on the day, they probably would have won the game and still had a manager.
Ange Postecoglou was sacked following the loss and could now be replaced by former Everton and Burnley boss Sean Dyche. Even before the defeat, there was already speculation about Dyche succeeding Postecoglou in the City Ground dugout.