5 Things Learned: Leicester City 2-0 Chelsea | Premier League
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Chelsea’s poor run of form continues as they suffered yet another defeat on the road. This time, Frank’s men were beaten by Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester City.
It took the Foxes just six minutes to take the lead. Leicester’s short corner eventually fell to Wilfred Ndidi, who’s strike from outside the box beat keeper Edouard Mendy.
Four minutes before half time and the Foxes doubled their lead. Some poor defending at the back allowed James Maddison to net Leicester’s second.
(Photo by RUI VIEIRA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
In the second half, Chelsea failed to create many clear cut chances as they looked to get back into the game.
Late on in the game, Timo Werner found the back of the net but was unfortunately ruled out for offside. Defeat now means that the Blues are still five points off the top four.
Here’s our five things we learned from Chelsea’s defeat:
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1. The players are not playing for the club
As soon as the first goal went in, it was so clear that the players lost complete interest in the game. There was no desire at all to get back into the game. The only player you can argue that should some sort of effort is Mason Mount. When watching the 90 minutes, it looked as if the players had just met each other for the first time in their professional careers. Frank’s men showed no passion whatsoever and were sluggish from the minute one.
2. Why did Antonio Rudiger start?
The German international started in the win against Fulham and was rewarded with a start against Leicester. The decision to start Antonio in the game with Fulham certainly shocked many of the Chelsea faithful. Unfortunately, in the showdown with Leicester, Rudiger failed to catch the eye of Frank and the Blues fans. Antonio was simply not good enough and was arguably at fault for the second goal scored by James Maddison.
(Photo by TIM KEETON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
3. The Blues had no answer for the Fox’s high press
Particularly in the first half, as soon as a Chelsea player got hold of the ball, Leicester would double up and cause some real havoc for their opposing side. Even when the Blues attempted to play out from the back, Leicester were straight off the blocks trying to put real pressure on the Chelsea players. It clearly affected the players as Chelsea simply had no answer for Leciester’s high, aggressive, press.
4. The poor run against the current top six goes on
If Chelsea are going to compete for a place in the top four this season, then they have to start picking up points against the bigger side. Frank’s men have only picked up two points against the current crop at the higher end of the league this season. By Chelsea’s standard, it is simply not good enough. There was no fight from any of the Chelsea players throughout the game, and the poor record against the top sides continue.
(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
5. Did Frank get the team selection wrong again?
It is safe to say that Frank has caused some debates with regards to several of his team selections in games. With N’Golo Kante ruled out due to an injury, Mateo Kovacic slotted in for the Frenchman, much to the anger of many Chelsea fans. The Croatian failed to impress who seemed to be a mere passenger throughout the game. The same can be said for Antonio Rudiger. The Blues fans were also begging for Hakim Ziyech to slot in out wide. Tammy Abraham receiving the nod up top also shocked the masses in the footballing world.
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Next up for Frank Lampard’s side is Luton in the FA Cup.
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