PSG have blown Chelsea out of the water 5-2 at Parc De Princes. Yet again, it was the Blues who were their own worst enemy. Goals from Malo Gusto and Enzo Fernadez gave Chelsea a chance of picking up a result in the French capital. However, plenty of unforced errors in the last 19 minutes of the match have given Chelsea a mountain to climb in the second leg.
There were major question marks before kick-off, surrounding Liam Rosenior’s decision to start Filip Jorgensen instead of Robert Sanchez. Ultimately, it was the Danish international who made two massive errors when the lights were at their brightest. As a result, Luis Enrique's side has one foot in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Throughout the game, it was crystal clear to see that Chelsea were all over the place. They were not organised, and the hosts had plenty of space to exploit. This game shows that Chelsea is not on the same level as the current Champions League holders, and they have a lot of work to do in order to catch up.
The Danish international has once again proven that he is not up to the standard required. Throughout the game, the goalkeeper was playing a variety of risky passes that invited pressure to his side. On top of this, there were moments where he did not command his box, particularly when the home side put crosses into Chelsea’s box. He didn’t get punished for all the risks that he took for the majority of the game.
However, in the 74th minute, when the game was in the balance, the 23-year-old passed the ball straight to Bradley Barcola instead of clearing his lines. As a result, PSG midfielder Vitinha spotted the goalkeeper off his line and scored PSG’s third goal.
In order to get over the finish line and win the major honours, every team, including Chelsea, needs to have a top reliable goalkeeper. Filip Jorgensen and Robert Sanchez have a history of making massive mistakes in crucial moments. Although Sanchez has taken a massive step up this season compared to his previous two, the Spanish international still can make big mistakes, as he did against Arsenal at the Emirates.
This game showed why the Blues must sign a top goalkeeper who can galvanise their defence as well as bring confidence to their teammates. The mistakes that Jorgensen made for Vitinha’s goal, as well as Khvicha Kvaratshkelia’s second goal, are simply unacceptable and should not happen at the highest level.
Chelsea were so far off the races defensively
PSG scored three goals in the last 19 minutes of the match to pretty much put the tie to bed. This highlights just how poor and unorganised the Blues are at the back. It is clear to see that Chelsea’s current center-backs are not able to contain dynamic and electric attacking players such as Ousmane Dembele and Kvaratskhelia, for example.
Throughout the entirety of the game, it looked like the hosts were going to put the ball in the back of the net every time they went forward. This speaks volumes about the way that Liam Rosenior set his team up tactically and about just how poor Chelsea’s defence is compared to the best teams in the world.
Chelsea were unorganised, undisciplined and very naive throughout the game. Despite spending so much money since buying the club back in 2022, Claerlake Capital have still been unable to sign a top centre-back or goalkeeper.
Those are two vital positions that have not been solidified, and Chelsea have paid a heavy price for not sorting out these two areas on the pitch. The Blues have now conceded 24 goals in 16 matches under the former Strasburg head coach, which suggests that they are very open at the back.
Chelsea’s defensive issues will continue until the end of the current season. The only way for the Blues to strengthen their defence is in the summer transfer window because it does not look like it will happen during this campaign.
To make matters worse, Chelsea conceded five or more goals in a Champions League match for the first time in 26 years. This goes to show that the Blues can’t handle being put under the cosh for any extended period of time without conceding goals.
Having a young and naive team does not lead to success
Having a young and inexperienced squad will lead to players making head-scratching errors consistently. Throughout football history, there have not been too many teams, if any, that have won major trophies by having a very young team.
Chelsea regularly is their own worst enemy because they shoot themselves in the foot. At least three of PSG’s goals came from the Blues losing concentration and totally switching off during key moments of the match. This has been a recurring theme this season, and from the outside looking in, it seems like the same players are not learning from their mistakes.
Chelsea is lacking leaders like Thiago Silva throughout the pitch. He was someone who controlled the backline and guided his younger teammates when the going got tough.
This current Blues side is missing someone who can bring the team together in difficult spells during the match. After Vitinha put the hosts 3-2 up, Liam Rosenior’s side totally capitulated rather than keeping their heads and composure. That came because Chelsea were immature and also because there are not enough leaders on the pitch.
On the other hand, despite conceding two goals and throwing away the lead twice, PSG stayed poised, calm and collected instead of panicking. That comes from having experienced players who have won plenty of trophies at the highest level.
This is something that Chelsea lacks, and if the Blues want to start competing for the biggest trophies again, then the ownership group have to change their model and methodology.
The visitors' strategy was to throw the kitchen sink at PSG after they went 3-2 down. However, the Blues would have given themselves a decent chance of turning the tie around had they only lost by a goal. By pushing players high up the pitch, Rosenior’s side left so much space behind for the opposition to exploit. There is an argument to be made that Chelsea should have committed that many players in order to get a result in the first leg.
However, on the other hand, the truth of the matter is that Chelsea’s defence was all over the place and committing even more players forward made them a lot more vulnerable at the back. That was shown during PSG’s final goal because Achraf Hakimi had so much space and time in order to pick out Kvaratskhelia.
Although Chelsea have so many weaknesses and holes defensively, **Liam Rosenior**’s tactics of pushing so many players forward, including the two central defenders, in order to win the ball high up the pitch haven’t worked. This strategy led to the center-backs being isolated in 1 v 1 situations.
The perfect example of this was when Ousmane Dembele was up against Fofana, which led to the hosts' second goal. This came because Trevoh Chalobah mistimed his tackle in the middle of the park, and as a result, Dembele had so much space ahead of him.