The struggle continues

Our worst fears were realised then, as we go into the international break on the back of three straight defeats.

I mentioned before kick off that Chelsea’s CB pairing had never played a PL game together and we should be get straight after them and we did. We started quickly and were looking dangerous prior to Caicedo’s rocket into our top corner. After that our belief seemed to fade a little and Chelsea grew into the game.

More silly fouling from Bradley, let to what feels like his inevitable yellow card and he was hooked at halftime in favour of Wirtz and the German almost made an immediate impact as his sumptuous backheel set up Salah with a great chance that he really should have done better with. These are the margins at the top level. If Salah scores that, everyone is waxing lyrical about Wirtz piece of magic, instead of berating him once again.

Salah himself had another poor performance overall, his shooting particularly poor, although he did make one excellent cross for Isak, who like Salah before him should have done better but he got underneath it and his header sailed harmlessly over the bar.

When we did eventually score, it was the equally under par Gakpo who prodded it home in the end, after Isak brought the ball down. Whether Isak meant to lay it on for Gakpo like that, I doubt and suspect he was trying to bring it down for himself but we’ll take it.

Some of the subs were a little head scratching. Moving Szoboszlai to RB and Gravenberch to CB when we’ve got Frimpong and Gomez on the bench seemed a strange choice from the manager and does leave you wondering where that leaves the players in the manager’s thinking. As always these things are either tactical genius or complete, head-scratching folly from the manager, depending if they work or not. Last season Slot had the Midas touch and with his subs scoring late winners in the early games of the season, that looked to have continued but its deserted him in recent weeks as for the second PL game running, we got a taste of our own bitter medicine, conceding late to lose the game.

As I said earlier, these are the margins. Caicedo isn’t hitting net-busters into the top corner every week but he did this week. Likewise the Salah chance that Wirtz laid on for him – 9/10 times Salah would bury that, massively easing the pressure on himself, Wirtz and the manager in one swing of his boot. On this occasion, he dragged it wide and so the narrative of the struggles of all three continue. I’ve mentioned in previous weeks that if it wasn’t for bad luck, Wirtz would’ve had no luck at all and that one yesterday summed up his travails this season. The fact he’s created the most chances in the PL this season but has yet to register an assist, is another indicator that things just having been going his way. It also indicates however, that things should turn at some point for him as well.

Theres no denying Salah is struggling in this new system and I really would like to see what we looked like playing with two up top and think it might even benefit Salah (and Frimpong) if he were to start on the right of a front two, getting him closer to goal and allowing Frimpong to bomb up and down the wing, providing width. At the moment the balance of our right side isn’t right but the constant chopping and changing of who plays RB can’t be helping that, with Szoboszlai, Bradley and Frimpong all bringing a very different skillset to the role.

It’s frustrating now that we have the international break but it may just have come at a good time for us to try and stop the rot. Change of scene for the players and a chance for Slot and his staff to try and come up with solutions, while having some time on the training pitch with the few that won’t be away with their national teams.

Thankfully our early victory over Arsenal has meant these past two defeats aren’t as damaging as they perhaps could have been, frustrating as it’s been watching our early lead turn into a deficit but it’s far from season ending. Time for Slot to earn his money now though. Walk on!