Trevoh Chalobah has given a very honest assessment of Chelsea following their defeat to Sunderland over the weekend.
Enzo Maresca’s men were beaten 2-1 at Stamford Bridge by Regis Le Bris’ side in an extremely disappointing performance.
It was a really bad day at the office for Chelsea. Even Moises Caicedo has come in for criticism following the shock loss.
Chalobah has now shared where the Blues have to improve going forward.
Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah trying to regain the ball
Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images
Trevoh Chalobah admits Chelsea struggle to break down low blocks
Chelsea were able to score early in the game through Alejandro Garnacho, who grabbed his first goal for the club since joining from Manchester United.
However, after that, the Club World Cup winners did not have too many great opportunities. According to Sofascore, they only created two big chances in the match and finished the fixture with an xG of just 0.90.
For Chalobah, breaking down teams who defend deep is a real issue for Chelsea.
“We need to improve when teams come and disrupt us and sit back, and we need to break them down,” the central defender told Chelsea’s official club website after the game. “You are going to have moments like this in a season. Any team you play in the Premier League is going to be a battle.”
Chalobah also feels that the team need to find more consistency. “We need to work on consistency, we had those three defeats [to Bayern, Man United and Brighton] but then we won four games in a row,” the 26-year-old added. “So we need to keep working every day, learn from it and move on.”
Maresca now faces more questions following his side’s latest defeat. For example, the decision to take off Josh Acheampong and replace him with Tosin Adarabioyo despite the England Under-21 international being Chelsea’s most in-form central defender right now was a baffling one.
Trevoh Chalobah, Tosin Adarabioyo and Marc Cucurella before Bayern Munich vs Chelsea
Photo by Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Chelsea fans will agree with Trevoh Chalobah
Chelsea do tend to have a tough time breaking down solid defences, as Chalobah has explained. Their defeat to Sunderland is not the only game this season where they have struggled to create much.
Their 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace in the Premier League’s opening weekend was an even harder watch.
All in all, Chelsea have a lot of meaningless possession during games. Their average ball possession of 59.7% is the second highest in English football’s top flight, according to FBref, but too often it does not result in anything.
Chelsea fans who watch Maresca’s team week in, week out are aware of that. They will agree that there are too many passes between the centre-backs that go sideways and backwards. It is no wonder the Blues struggle to break down their opponents.