The aftermath of Chelsea's 3-0 defeat to Brighton painted a picture of a club in disarray. Liam Rosenior apologized to fans who had called for his dismissal throughout the second half. Meanwhile, Enzo Fernandez, donning the captain's armband despite his previous comments about joining another team, shrugged his shoulders at the supporters. A 'We Want BlueCo Out' banner emerged from the away end, with co-owner Behdad Eghbali in attendance, just a week after he expressed confidence in Rosenior's long-term success.
On the pitch, Chelsea's performance was equally underwhelming. From the outset, the team's lack of fight was evident in the duels, with Chelsea's players taking 32 minutes to complete their first tackle. By halftime, 10 of the 11 starters had not managed a single tackle.
This lackluster display was no surprise, given that Chelsea have been out-run by every Premier League opponent, a streak that now stands at 34 matches. While context is necessary for this statistic, it is telling that Chelsea are surrounded by underperforming teams in the list of most out-run teams. The data is further worsened by the fact that the message is not getting across to the players.
Despite Rosenior's criticism of the team's habits as 'indefensible, unprofessional, and unacceptable,' defender Trevoh Chalobah had a different perspective. 'I think the boys were running their socks off,' said Chalobah. 'If you look in the dressing room, everyone is tired.
It's nothing to do with effort. We gave it our all.
We got beat today.' However, Brighton ran seven kilometers more than Chelsea on Tuesday night, which raises questions about the team's effort. There is a clear disconnect between the players and the head coach, which even Rosenior cannot deny. 'Judging off that performance, it looks that way,' said Rosenior in his press conference. The team's attacking woes are also a major concern, with Chelsea failing to register a shot on target in their fifth consecutive Premier League game.
The underlying data is even more alarming, with their first-half Expected Goals (xG) tally of 0.04 being the lowest under any of Maresca's 114 halves of Premier League football as Chelsea boss. While injuries have been a factor, with Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro, and Estevao missing from the forward line, this is a squad that has cost £1bn to assemble.
Established Premier League players like Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho, as well as summer signing Liam Delap, are part of the team. Rosenior will ultimately bear the brunt of the criticism for not getting the best out of this Chelsea team, especially given Maresca's previous success. His decision to revert to a 5-3-2 formation for the first time in the Premier League, only to change back to a 4-2-3-1 at halftime, appears desperate.
Perhaps it is fitting that Chelsea's project, modeled after Brighton's, was exposed in such a brutal manner. Since the new owners arrived, they have attempted to replicate Brighton's success, hiring one of their sporting directors and poaching several players and backroom staff. For them to be beaten so comprehensively by the team they have tried to emulate is the ultimate shame. Chelsea's attempt to rebuild their club has gone awry, and a change in course is now desperately needed.