Chelsea is on the brink of losing the race for a place in the Premier League’s top four after a string of defeats, including a 1-0 loss to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.
BIG. 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄. POINTS. 🔵 #mancity pic.twitter.com/rw4DqxOAdW
— Erling Haaland (@ErlingHaaland) January 5, 2023
Facing Manchester City is the most difficult task in the Premier League, and Thursday night was no exception as Chelsea was beaten by a well-coached group of men.
As things currently stand, it is extremely improbable that they will qualify for next year’s Champions League. Despite a change of owner and manager, Chelsea’s season has been filled with misery after misery, with the recent loss adding the cherry on top of the cake.
▪️ 10 points from the top four
▪️ 10 points from relegation
▪️ One win in last eight league games
▪️ Face City again in the FA Cup on SundayChelsea right now 😬 pic.twitter.com/hSXdvwMHWa
— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 5, 2023
After a cocky first-half performance from both teams, Pep was early to react as he brought two substitutes in Grealish and Mahrez. It was proved to be the ultimate move in a chess match between him and Potter as the newly brought-on duo combined together to produce the only goal of the match.
But questions were raised as Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga could have done better as he was watching City Score the goal rather than reacting to it. After witnessing their team concede, fans all over the world demanded an investigation into the incident seeing as Kepa was fully responsible for the error that resulted in the goal.
What was Kepa waiting for smh 🤦🏾 #Chelsea
pic.twitter.com/Z86q1APGAH— UMAR MOROSKI🤘🏾 (@UmarMoroski) January 5, 2023
Kiper Chelsea, Kepa saat ada bola datar, cuma seluncuran doang dan dilihat saja #CHEMCI pic.twitter.com/q20igAbkNr
— Cakwe Anbu 🦊👺🌵 (@YareY4r3Daze) January 5, 2023
Mason Mount was the most recent casualty of Chelsea’s injury crisis after taking a blow in practice, as many of the team’s regulars were still out. Chelsea’s progress was hindered by the first-half injuries to Cristian Pulisic and Raheem Sterling. Chelsea’s season can be summed up by mentioning Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Jorginho, and N’golo Kante as long-term absentees already.
Graham Potter was seen as heartbreaking with the number of injuries he had to escape through and told the reporters, “We got injuries to key players. We try and find a solution. How do you replace Reece James, N’Golo Kante, and Wesley Fofana? These guys are key players. I don’t want to make excuses, but we need stability and are working towards it.”
Chelsea injuries 🤔
❌ N'Golo Kante
❌ Reece James
❌ Edouard Mendy
❌ Wesley Fofana
❌ Armando Broja
❌ Ben Chilwell
❌ Ruben Loftus-Cheek
❌ Mason Mount
❌ Raheem Sterling
❌ Christian PulisicU'll understand what potter is going through, which coach will survive this 🤔 pic.twitter.com/gDihJEGs0d
— E B E R E💧 (@EbereCFC) January 5, 2023
“He had a kick in training yesterday. It never rains but it pours, as they say. Happy New Year.”
Will Chelsea bounce back from the dead man’s track and pave the way like the ‘Night King’? We will find out when the time is right.
