At the start of the 2021/22 season, Chelsea looked unstoppable while Manchester City and Liverpool were constantly playing catch-up with the London outfit. But in the past few weeks, the whole atmosphere has changed as the Blues have now slipped to the third spot on the Premier League table.
Chelsea have won just two out of their previous five league matches and in their last game, they were held to a 1-1 draw by Everton – a team who are 14th on the table right now. Two dropped points mean Man City have Liverpool have opened up somewhat of a gap for the first two spots and there are now fears that Tuchel might be losing the plot.
Liverpool and Man City have found form just at the right moment and at the same time, the Blues are struggling to score goals and kill off winnable matches. Many bookmakers are now tipping City and Liverpool to fight it out for the rest of the season and if this were to happen then it will be a major disappointment for Thomas Tuchel.
Has Thomas Tuchel lost the plot?
Chelsea were the overwhelming favourites to win against Everton but in the end, Benitez’s men managed to hold on. And after the final whistle, there were some boos and jeers from the Blues home fans.
The voices have started rising regarding Chelsea’s inability to get things back on track but Thomas Tuchel has made it clear that the Everton result was down to bad luck.
“When you are not really underperforming but you don’t get the results, it is a bit of an awkward place because maybe then you have to admit you don’t have the one solution that can fix the problem,” Tuchel said (via ESPN).
“But it can help to speak it out and be honest about it. Maybe not this one, and this one and this thing to fix but maybe there are more reasons and it is a complex situation. [Against Everton], for me, I think we have all the right to admit it was purely down to bad luck.
Chelsea are now four points behind league leaders Man City 🙃 pic.twitter.com/pB9jwXMDOf
— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 16, 2021
“This game in all statistics, expected goals, is a clear win. The feeling would be totally different if we had a 3-0 win. We would praise the players [for] how they dealt with the situation. Who do we blame now? Mason Mount for not scoring in the first half? Reece James for not scoring? It is not possible. I will never, never do this.
“You get booed off, it happens, but I don’t think it is for the performance. I think the people come, they wish the best for us, they support us and in the end, they are disappointed and we are as well. I absolutely refuse to take it personally.
“These things happen and I can just tell everybody: we need the support. We need the players on top level and we need the supporters on top, top, top level especially when things get a bit tough and a bit tight. We need them even more.”
Will the PL title race now be a two-horse race?
Liverpool and Man City are three and four points ahead of Chelsea respectively and the recent dropped points mean teams like Arsenal and West Ham United are also closing the gap.
While some experts believe that Chelsea might have lost control of the situation but we are sure that Tuchel’s men will claw things back really soon.
Defensively there are as strong as ever but it’s scoring goals which seems to be the major issue for them. While Liverpool and Man City are scoring at will, players like Lukaku and Werner are going through a barren patch.
Man City recently thumped seven goals past Leeds United(despite having a recognized centre-forward) while Liverpool have netted 48 goals this season in the PL. On the other hand, Romelu Lukaku has scored only three league goals this season while Werner has found the back of the net just once.
6 – Last nights match (v @LUFC) was the first time in the club’s history that Man City have had six different goal scorers in a single game, none of which being strikers. Overtime.@ManCity | #ManCity | #MCILEE https://t.co/H4GcXxAXD7
— StatCity (@StatCity) December 15, 2021
We have a feeling that as soon as Tuchel can find someone who can properly lead the line and score goals, Chelsea will be back amongst the thick of things.
Will Man City and Liverpool falter as well?
City and Liverpool will lose some players next month for the Africa Cup of Nations and there’s a big chance that these two sides will lose points during this phase.
Chelsea are not too far behind from the top two sides so one or two lapses from them should be enough for Tuchel to get his ship back on course.
Also, there’s a major chance that several matches will be rescheduled due to the rising COVID cases(or maybe there will be a break) which means there is going to be a fixture pile-up. While Chelsea will also suffer due to this but this is another chance for them to catch up with Manchester City and Liverpool.
