The main talking points and moments missed from Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat to Leeds United on Wednesday evening with the disappointing Blues slipping up at Elland Road
Whatever was said, it was not positive. Robert Sanchez felt the wrath of a livid Andrey Santos at Leeds United on Wednesday night.
Of course, the deafening Elland Road meant what the Brazilian midfielder said inaudible, but it felt a tad harsh. It wasn’t Sanchez’s fault. The blame for that one can be placed on Tosin Adarabioyo.
The experienced option in the Chelsea defence. In fact, in the Chelsea team. But the 28-year-old did not play like that. Instead he crumbled under the lights in Yorkshire.
Tosin received the ball in his box and pondered his options. But you cannot ponder for long in the Premier League, especially at Elland Road.
Noah Okafor, with fresh legs after coming on as a second-half substitute, sensed the casualness from the Chelsea defender and took full advantage of it, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin tapping the ball into an empty net after a scramble.
That summed up Tosin’s evening. Up until that, he looked shaky and sloppy. And while criticism of the defender is valid and warranted, it is also fair to point out that he was not the only one in the black strip to disappoint.
It is all well and good getting yourselves up for Barcelona and Arsenal at home, but going away to a newly-promoted side and putting in a similar type of performance was too much to ask. They are different games, of course, in completely different circumstances, but the Blues need to find a way to adapt and overcome said differences.
That is why – bluntly – they cannot be considered as serious title challengers to Arsenal at this point in time. It is worth pointing out, they are not supposed to be. They are already ahead of schedule under Enzo Maresca in terms of where they are in their ambitious long-term project.
It was a harsh lesson for a few in that Chelsea squad. Maresca’s decision to bring Estevao Willian off at half-time – for the second match on the bounce, interestingly – was down to the 18-year-old Brazilian being on a yellow card and treading on thin ice. But the Chelsea head coach was also quick to point out that it was a “welcome to the Premier League” for Estevao.
Maresca said: “I think the feeling with Estevao was a little bit, ‘welcome to the Premier League, welcome to Leeds’. The impact for him must have been probably a big, big impact for him.
“The reason why we changed him is because he was already a yellow card. Sometimes when you are 18, you struggle to manage emotion, so it was better to change him and to avoid any red card.”
Chelsea ended the match with 71% of the ball but it was not a game where you thought the Blues deserved to leave with three points, or even a point for that matter. Leeds had a plan to hurt Chelsea and that involved an incredibly intense, in-your-face start to the game.
Elland Road, under the lights, a historic rivalry – surely the Blues knew what was coming. Perhaps they didn’t expect it to be as difficult as that, but there was always a chance of them facing some adversity in Yorkshire. Yet it felt as if they were surprised about what was unfolding on the pitch, and they didn’t look ready.
If Chelsea could have found a way to dig in and get through those opening 15 minutes unscathed, then there was every chance they would settle and find the route to a positive result. Relentless long throws and set-pieces for the hosts just increased the pressure on the visitors and eventually it became too much.
In that respect, the Blues did not defend anywhere near well enough. And when they were losing 1-0, Chelsea were sloppy in possession. Uncharacteristically sloppy. See Enzo Fernandez for Leeds’ second goal.
Each and every goal was a gift in one sense. It is easy to point out they were missing Moises Caicedo. Who wouldn’t? But they need to find a way to fill the void when he is not available.
Bournemouth to come on Saturday presents a different challenge, a different threat. It will be a similar outcome, though, if Chelsea play anywhere near the level that they did at Elland Road.
