Chelsea’s struggles continued as an Anthony Elanga second-half goal saw Mauricio Pochettino’s side lose to Nottingham Forest in their second defeat of the new Premier League season.
Here are five things we learned from the game…
Fernandez a shining light in new role
After scoring the winner against Wimbledon in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, Enzo Fernandez continued to impress in his new role in Mauricio Pochettino’s system against Nottingham Forest. Playing at the head of the Chelsea midfield again, compared to his deeper role last season, Fernandez thrived in his fluid position, roaming across the pitch and showcasing his quality across the pitch.
He was instrumental in Chelsea’s counter-attacks, seamlessly transitioning the ball up the field with his rapid one-touch passing on numerous occasions and demonstrating his incredible awareness. Chelsea’s number eight also used his awareness to frequently pick up pockets of space and progress the ball on quickly. Though as the game wore on, these qualities faded, in what would turn out to be a disappointing game for the home team.
Disjointed midfield and attack
Embed from Getty ImagesThat’s largely where the positives ended for Chelsea in the first half, however, with Fernandez being the only real shining light on a poor afternoon for the Blues. For the first 45 minutes, the midfield and attack struggled, finding it difficult to progress the ball and move it quickly while the attack offered little threat when the ball did find its way into a dangerous area. On countless occasions, when Chelsea managed to work the attack to the wide areas and get the ball into the box, Nicolas Jackson was nowhere to be seen, rarely working the space to create a chance.
There were also numerous occasions when Chelsea lacked the desire to move the ball quickly and when they did, sloppy passes often undermined them, as demonstrated by an animated Pochettino on the touchline, who was often seen unhappy at this side’s carelessness with the ball. In the second half, these issues continued, with Moisés Caicedo caught in possession which led to Nottingham Forest’s opener. Late in the second half, Jackson missed an open goal from six yards out, shinning his sliding effort well over the crossbar. When Chelsea did get big opportunities, they lacked the clinical finishing to take them.
Poor pitch at Stamford Bridge
This carelessness with the ball could be down somewhat to the quality of the pitch at Stamford Bridge. Following the midweek Carabao cup tie at home to Wimbledon, where the Blues won 2-1, the ground staff at the Bridge had a short turnaround to get the pitch ready for Saturday. They could possibly be forgiven for some of the mistakes againsy Forest. Before a ball had even been kicked, there were pulled-up patches of grass and it caused issues for both teams.
There were plenty of misplaced passes throughout the game, but with Chelsea seeing more of the ball it was the bigger issue for the home side. It was a largely scrappy and forgettable game, one that played into Nottingham Forest’s hands. For Chelsea, with the team already struggling to gel, the last thing they needed was to have their own pitch against them.
Nottingham Forest’s game plan works to perfection
Embed from Getty ImagesFor all of Chelsea’s downfalls, a huge chunk of credit has to be given to Steve Cooper and Nottingham Forest who played a near perfect away game against one of the big boys. In the first half, they showed great defensive discipline and structure to frustrate Chelsea, forcing them to go wide with the tall and physical centre-back pairing of Joe Worrall and Willy Boly dealing with any cross that came their way.
They were smart with their press too, being selective in the moments that they chose to chase after the ball and cause problems for Chelsea. This is what led to their first goal, when Caicedo was caught with the out by the Forest press which allowed Taiwo Awoniyi to carry the ball forward and thread it through the legs of Thiago Silva to Anthony Elanga, who burst into the box and delicately placed his finish past a diving Robert Sanchez. With their goal, Cooper’s side could focus on their strength – defending, frustrating Chelsea even further and offering no way past for the Blues.
Pochettino needs time
In modern football time is a rarity. Gone are the days of Sir Alex Ferguson, when Manchester United gave him seven years until he won his first league title. In the 21st century, you either deliver instantly or face the axe. This has especially been the case at Chelsea in recent history under the previous ownership and current one, where the billions of pounds spent during owner Todd Boehly’s time at the club has meant the pressure will be straight on a manager if doesn’t get a tune out the team from the first ball kicked.
This season, Pochettino was the man tasked with this challenge, and after the defeat at home to Forest, it has left the side with six points to start the campaign, with two wins and two defeats to their name. Only four games into the season, for many Premier League managers, time would be more on their side but with Chelsea spending the money they have, there is an automatic expectation for the side to be clicking already. But as history has shown, it is hard to gel together a team which has had enormous changes. Pochettino should be given more time to shape this squad to his vision.
