• May 8, 2022
• Olaoluwa Nwobodo

Chelsea welcomed Wolves to Stamford Bridge and despite taking a two-goal lead, they still managed to leave with 1 point. It was an extremely frustrating game because Chelsea started the game very well but as soon as they scored the second goal they seemed to relax. Mateo Kovacic made a silly unforced error that led Wolves back into the game. Kovacic made this error despite having ample time, space, and several passing options. Wolves gained control of the game as soon as they halved the deficit. It was an embarrassing performance from the Blues across the board except for a few players.

Goalkeeper: No clean sheet. Again

Chelsea was not good defensively, and that means a cordial invitation for the opponents to shoot at you. Chelsea conceded just five fewer shots than Wolves. What’s worse is that the Blues only recorded two more shots on target. Edouard Mendy made several crucial saves but was unable to prevent Chelsea from dropping points.

Defenders: Not good enough considering the opposition

Chelsea definitely has better defenders than Wolves. Yes, Wolves are the fourth-best defense in the league this season, after Chelsea. Thiago Silva wasn’t really poor, but he did get put on his backside for the first goal. An experienced defender should not be getting beaten so easily. Antonio Rudiger was absent for the second goal. This is unacceptable in crucial games where the result is decided in key moments. Wolves had no business getting that header in added time. Cesar Azpilicueta was all-around poor. He was poor in duels, distribution, and defending.

Midfielders: Good, sharp, then complacent

Chelsea’s midfielders started very well. Their work rate, distribution, and ball movement. As soon as the Blues took a two-goal lead, the midfielders seemed to “realize” how easy the game was. The problem was that the game wasn’t easy. The sharpness in midfield dropped and Wolves were let back into the game. Mateo Kovacic has to learn when to just release the ball, rather than dribbling just for the sake of it. Chelsea didn’t need to concede that first goal as it was at such a comfortable point in the game; Chelsea was in control of the ball, in the final third of Wolves. Marcos Alonso played better than Reece James.

Forwards: Lukaku scores after getting chances…shock!

Christian Pulisic was underwhelming at certain points during the game. He only completed one of six attempted dribbles. Pulisic showed better decision-making than the player he replaced in the lineup. His instinctive pass to Romelu Lukaku who was running in behind was perfect. It gave Lukaku a perfect opportunity to show his superb finishing. Lukaku and Kai Havertz now have the same number of league goals, despite Havertz starting five of the last seven league games for Chelsea. In those games, Havertz has had access to a plethora of good goal-scoring chances but has squandered the majority of them. Timo Werner was predictable all game. He has to start doing something else when he is running at a defender from the flanks.

Substitutes and manager

Saul Niguez came on for Alonso at halftime in what could only be a pre-planned substitution. He was worse than Alonso generally though it is true that the two goals Chelsea scored were with the Spainard on the pitch, it is also true that the goals Chelsea conceded were also with the Spaniard on the pitch. Malang Sarr came on for Azpilicueta with just three minutes of regulation time left so there’s nothing to be said about that. Kai Havertz came on in the 90th minute. All these substitutions look even worse in hindsight considering that Chelsea conceded a header in the 97th minute.

Tuchel made the necessary changes. He dropped Mason Mount and Havertz who had quite frankly been thinking up the place for too long. He didn’t really have a choice for the central midfield. He gave Lukaku a chance and the Belgian repaid the faith. There’s not much else Tuchel could’ve done other than bring on Hakim Ziyech, which…why in the world didn’t he bring on Ziyech anyway?

Ratings
Mendy: 7
Azpilicueta (C): 4
Silva – 6
Rudiger – 6
James – 6
Loftus-Cheek – 6
Kovacic – 5
Alonso – 6
Pulisic – 6.5
Werner – 5.5
Lukaku – 10
Saul (45′) – 5.5
Sarr (87′) – N/A
Havertz(90′) – N/A

Tuchel: 7

Do you agree? How would you rate the players’ performances?