Chelsea suffered a disappointing 1-0 loss to Manchester City in the Semi-Final of the FA Cup. This defeat meant that the Blues are set to go yet another season without winning a trophy. The young side had a lot of chances to score goals against the reigning FA Cup champions, but they failed to convert them and this resulted in another defeat at Wembley.
Nicolas Jackson had one of the most disappointing performances for any striker as he squandered chances left, right and center [Quite literally.] His build-up play, power and pace are all among the best, but the Senegalese forward needs to put the ball in the back of the net if he wants to continue playing for Chelsea.
The team are currently ninth in the table with seven games left to play. They can move up the standings, but not a lot of bettors would put their money on the Blues as they are a team that lacks consistency. It would be because they are a young side, but excuses are running out for them after a whole season of disappointments.
They have games against Arsenal, Tottenham and Aston Villa, which are all going to be tough ones. If they are to make it into Europe, Chelsea will have to get positive results from all these games, but looking at how they have faired so far, that seems unlikely.
Chelsea have problems bigger than finishing
Finishing is certainly one aspect that Chelsea need to improve on. Now whether that happens by bringing in a big striker during the offseason or Nicolas Jackson taking a big leap next season is something that only time will tell. However, they have other problems that need to be addressed immediately.
After the FA Cup defeat to Manchester City, Thiago Silva seemed visibly upset and even shed some tears as this was his last chance of winning another trophy with Chelsea. While this was happening, the camera caught Noni Madueke in the background sharing laughs with Manchester City winger Jack Grealish. While there is nothing wrong with laughing after a game, one also needs to reflect on their own performance and Madueke’s was not a great one that evening.
He was not able to bring any creativity from the wing and failed to deliver a single successful cross into the box. Although he has had some big moments in games this season, Noni Madueke is proving to be a difficult player to coach for Mauricio Pochettino. The 22-year-old was involved in the penalty-gate incident at Stamford Bridge when Chelsea smashed Everton 6-0. He tried to take the penalty away from Cole Palmer, but interference from Chelsea captain Conor Gallagher and other players led to him walking away from the spot kick.
Pochettino cannot be fully blamed for Chelsea’s poor season
Mauricio Pochettino being named as Chelsea’s head coach came as a news that shocked many football fans. The former Tottenham Hotspurs coach had many intense battles against the Blues and after all those years he was set to lead a Chelsea team as their coach. The preseason proved to be promising as the club won all their games and seemed to fit in perfectly.
However, as the season started, things did not look great and the club was not winning as many games as they would expect. Many criticised Pochettino and even called him “Spursy” for his tactical mishaps. He often played players in wrong position and this was not taken well by fans. There came a point where fans even started chanting former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho’s name in the stadium.
Even with all that, Poch led Chelsea to a Carabao Cup Final appearance. The team failed to win the competition, but this was not down to him again as the Blues failed to make the most of their chances against Liverpool.
With just seven games left to play, Chelsea have a lot to reflect about this season. Pochettino’s future hangs in balance, but things could turn around if he manages to lead them into Europe. However, the club have not been able to string good games consecutively and given the number of injuries they have, Chelsea could be out of Europe for another year.
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