Days ago, Thomas Tuchel was asked what treatment he will need for his Chelsea team for them to really break the duopoly of Manchester City and Liverpool for the title next season. His reply ? ‘cosmestic surgeon.’
The reply did make sense looking at the group, which young players are predominant but looking the results they had managed recently, it looks like they are going to need more than just cosmetics surgery to become contenders next season.
In their last four Premier League games, Chelsea have lost twice, which only equals the number of losses Liverpool have recorded in all 34 games this season, and one shy of Manchester City’s total.
This is evidence that Chelsea under Thomas Tuchel still lacks the ruthlessness to go all the way to the league title in England. The losses have also come in disappointing fashion as the one against Arsenal at the Stamford Bridge saw the Gunners ended a run of three consecutive defeats.
The Blues were beaten by an Arsenal side, who had lost three consecutive games to teams in the ranks of Crystal Palace, Brighton and Southampton but visited the Stamford Bridge and take away all three points from their host.
They followed that up with a laboured 1-0 win over 10man West Ham United, who rested a host of their regulars due to Europa League commitments, but Chelsea never got the breakthrough until the Hammers were down by a man.
In the mid-week’s draw with Manchester United, Chelsea were by far the superior side but struggled to find the finishing touches up-front. Kai Havertz had been entrusted with the responsibility of getting the goals but the German has recently lost his touches in front of goal.
Thomas Tuchel gave record signing Romelu Lukaku a second chance against an Arsenal defense, who chipped on goals at Palace, against Brighton and Southampton but it appears the striker hasn’t at all improve since he has been dropped.
Injury to most of the first team players did not help matters but this is just one of the facts the club has to start to embrace of they will be losing some of the regulars in the summer.
The matter has been decided for Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen and both will be headed in the summer while Marcos Alonso, whose contract ends next summer is already being linked with a return to Spain, with Barcelona reported to be interested.
N’Golo Kante is in his 30s and can’t impose his will on games as much as he did in the past, when his influence alone is like that of four players rolled into one.
The Frenchman is one of the factors that made Chelsea tick since his arrival from Leicester City but age is now catching up on him.
Kai Havertz has been decent since assuming the role of a striker but there will always a need for plan B, a shoe which unfortunately, Romelu Lukaku is not good enough to fill again with what has been the case so far.
Timo Werner has just ten Premier League goals in two seasons, numbers which is not befitting of a striker for any team, talkless of one with ambition and playing in the top competitions.
Maybe Chelsea have no plans of spending much in the summer but they will have to spend anyways as signings should be made to replace departing players and to upgrade on their regrettable decision to re-sign Lukaku.
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Conor Gallagher will be expected to get more chance with the first team having impressed on loan at Crystal Palace. Billy Gilmour has failed to impress at Norwich City while Armando Broja is having a mixed time with Southampton albeit it is still to be seen whether Chelsea can trust the striker enough to retain him for the future.
The imminent departure of Rudiger and Christensen makes the decision to sell Kurt Zouma and Fikayo Tomori now laughable but Chelsea can still mend the flaws with a good business in the summer.
The club, in contrast to what Thomas Tuchel had said will need more than just cosmetic surgery to become a stronger competitor for the Premier League title next season and everyone at the club will at this time be thinking that direction.
Author: Kehinde Hassan Afolabi
