It is a dark, dark time for Chelsea who disappointed one more time against Leicester. Even if they lost to the Premier League leaders, the Blues still could have put up a fight. It was not the case as the Londoners showed weakness after weakness and looked more and more like a team that is falling apart. Mourinho may have lost some of the locker room and even with him insisting everything is fine, anyone can see things are not right. You can see that in some players. You can even see that those who are in good form are playing for the team but some players are starting to point fingers like Diego Costa who had the nerve to give the defense the sleeping sign after Jamie Vardy scored the first goal for Leicester. The irony is plain to see here as Costa is hardly setting the League on fire this season with his paltry goal return and his admission that he returned for the off-season carrying an extra “tire” of fat/weight.
Looking at the way Chelsea performed against Leicester one cannot help notice the fact that the Blues looked like a team that just got a new manager and are playing with what they had from the previous coach. There was little cohesion and even Courtois looked out of tune. In top shape and fully focused, the Belgian international would have saved Leicester’s second goal.
What is even more worrying is that even players like Azpilicueta who are known for their professionalism and high levels of concentration, failed to show anything good. The Spaniard and Chelsea’s entire defense looked like youngsters at times. They failed to synchronize their movements, they failed to hold on to their line and they failed to assist the attack.
As far as the midfield goes, it looked like Pedro was trying too hard, Matic was trying but for nothing and the rest were running around aimlessly. Diego Costa had one or two good moments up front but nothing worth mentioning. Out of the entire game 2 names are worth putting on the list. First there’s Remy who managed the goal. He was not great but at least he was there when the cross came in front of goal. The second is Fabregas who despite being pretty good, reminded us of his time spent in his last couple of months with both Arsenal and Barcelona. He looks relaxed, extremely relaxed, showcasing his passing skills but only intermittently unlike last season.
It`s tough to watch Chelsea without thinking change is needed. The biggest question is what changes need to be done in order for team to come out fighting at least against PSG in the Champions League. Still the busy Christmas period gives Chelsea a chance at fast redemption with the number of fixtures coming so thick and fast so a good winning streak could really make a difference. Jose Mourinho acknowledges that Chelsea are in the relegation zone at the moment on 15 points but he does not agree Chelsea are in the relegation battle. Hopefully he is right and given Chelsea’s quality you would have to say he is right.