Despite a change of face in the dugout, Chelsea were beaten 1-0 by Wolves on Saturday in another unconvincing display by the side. Matheus Nunes scored the all-important goal at the Molineux Stadium, smashing home a thunderous strike in the 31st minute.
The defeat, as well as results elsewhere, means that the Blues have fallen into the bottom half of the Premier League and are 14 points outside of the top four. Frank Lampard fell victim to similar mistakes being made by the Stamford Bridge outfit, though there was very little that nay of his players could have done to prevent Nunes’ strike nestling into the back of the net.
Chelsea’s chances of playing European football next season now appear slim, meaning that winning the Champions League may be the only way that Lampard will be able to guide his side to a top competition. Express Sport takes a look at five things learned in their defeat to Wolves…
The return of Aubameyang
Throughout Potter’s tenure, the absence of a true No 9 prompted many to question why Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was frozen out of the squad – though he appears to have been handed a lifeline by Lampard. The ex-Arsenal forward was named amongst the substitutes for the match against Wolves and entered the fray in the 67th minute, coming on in place of Raheem Sterling.
Real Madrid in mind
The absence of N’Golo Kante from Chelsea’s starting eleven raised eyebrows on Saturday given his impressive display in midweek against Liverpool, though Lampard did not shy away from hinting that he has one eye on Real Madrid. The Blues travel to the Santiago Bernabeu to face the La Liga outfit on Wednesday, and they do not appear to be willing to risk the fitness of the midfielder.
Speaking ahead of kick off, Lampard said: “With the amount of games we’ve got coming up over the next two weeks – there’s no worries with N’Golo. We’re fine with him, we’re managing him through. He’s been out for a long time so we have a way of managing him.”
Potter plan ripped up
Despite Chelsea appearing to be getting to grips with a back-three under Graham Potter, Lampard tore up those plans in a matter of days as interim manager. The ex-Everton boss deployed a 4-3-3 against Wolves, dropping Ben Chilwell to the bench in favour of having another player in the final third.
The change indicates that those at Chelsea do not believe that the tactics being deployed by Potter were getting the very best out of the plethora of players he had, though that may not have been the best decision so promptly given that the Blues did not look entirely comfortable – with the fullbacks being caught out of position on several occasions due to pushing too high.
Lack of confidence
Chelsea’s players were not reinvigorated by having a new manager against Wolves, with their frontline continuing to look like rabbits in the headlights when given time and space in the final third. The Blues crafted several half-chances in the second half but failed to test Jose Sa, begging the question of why a top striker was not acquired in January as part of the club’s spending spree.
Gallagher fails to prove his worth
With Conor Gallagher being heavily linked with Liverpool recently, Lampard may have attempted to prove that he has a future at Stamford Bridge by starting him against Wolves. The England international completed a three-man midfield but was unable to truly prove his worth in an underwhelming display that saw him struggle to make his mark. Instead, the playmaker was somewhat fortunate not to have been dismissed for a second yellow card following a dangerous challenge after already being cautioned.
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