The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Chelsea finished third after a lackluster stalemate with Leicester that confirmed what we already knew.
As Chelsea beat Tottenham Hotspur, Thomas Tuchel discovers his new Cesc Fabregas.It's difficult to get excited about a game that felt like a glorified friendly masquerading as a competitive Premier League match.
James Maddison and Marcos Alonso scored two excellent goals in the first half to provide some excitement, but this will be a game fast forgotten as Chelsea's disappointing season draws to a close.
The most crucial takeaway from the night was that Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Leicester has all but guaranteed them third place, their highest finish since 2018/19. Even if Tottenham matches Chelsea's points on the last day if Chelsea loses against Watford, the better goal difference would necessitate a bizarre set of circumstances.With only one game remaining, let's take a look at the final Good, Bad, and Ugly from Thursday night's 0-0 tie with the Foxes.
The Positive: New Fabregas.
When the game appeared to be boring even the players, Reece James began freely moving about the ground in the second half. He moved from wingback to midfield, then left flank, and finally up top.
The defense was soon playing everywhere, and speculation became the most interesting thing to do. His increasing versatility demonstrates his talent, and his pass to set up Alonso's equalizer was as majestic as one Cesc Fabregas.Many players should be replaced or upgraded this summer, but James is one of Thomas Tuchel's indisputable names.
Alonso defending is bad.
The first half was arguably best captured by Marcos Alonso. He was too lazy to enable Castagne to run off him, allowing Maddison to rifle in the opener before making amends with an equaliser.
Although some may dismiss this as "Alonso being Alonso," his attention problems can no longer be allowed if Chelsea hopes to close the gap on Manchester City and Liverpool.Chelsea's defeat against Leicester leaves them with only eight victories from 18 home games, the worst home record among the top seven teams in the league.
Even though Chelsea will finish above Arsenal in the league, Arsenal has won more games this season. The end of the league season has driven home a number of unpleasant realities about where the Blues stand in relation to their title ambitions from last summer.
Under new ownership, a significant improvement is required. No cup can take the focus away from Chelsea's bad finish or hide the club's consistency issues over the last four years.
blogpay
Total Comments: 0