It's safe to say Thomas Tuchel raised a few eyebrows with his post-match comments after the defeat to Leeds. They were perhaps more controversial than those he has received an FA charge for in relation to Anthony Taylor.
The German coach gave little credit to Leeds' performance and even suggested Chelsea were the better team at Elland Road, felled by two errors that led to goals in the first half. Tuchel brushed off the idea of a new striker being the difference in finishing the few chances the Blues had and appeared perplexed about the notion of signing another midfielder.
"Another midfielder?" he said. "We have Jorginho, N'Golo Kante, we have Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Conor Gallagher, Mateo Kovacic…. They're injured, yes, it's a problem. But they will come back. They've not disappeared."
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Chelsea's attempts to sign Frenkie de Jong this summer leave the 48-year-old's confusion as curious, but in some respects, it is a position Chelsea are well stocked in. Jorginho, N'Golo Kante, Conor Gallagher, Mateo Kovacic, in addition to the new £20million signing Carney Chukwuemeka, and those looking set to depart in Ethan Ampadu and Billy Gilmour.
With Chukwuemeka and Ampadu left on the bench when Jorginho and Gallagher were replaced by Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech - Tuchel's disinclination to use all of his options starts to narrow the pool. Injuries to Kovacic and Kante perhaps rob Chelsea of their most impressive choices over the last few seasons.
Tuchel may take solace in that Kante will return from his hamstring injury. His comments from May, suggest the Frenchman's availability has been a concern ahead of new contract discussions for the midfielder whose current deal expires next summer.
"I think he is our key, key, key player, but key, key, key players need to be on the pitch," said Tuchel last season. "He plays only 40% of the games. Then it is maybe a miracle that we arrive in third place. He is our Mo Salah, he is our Van Dijk, he is our De Bruyne. He is simply that player. He is our Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
"He is that guy who makes the difference, and if you only have him for 40%, then it is a huge problem. Given that percentage, it is maybe a miracle that he produces results. It puts everything into perspective as I saw Liverpool without Van Dijk last season, and they struggled heavily. You see the difference. N'Golo is our key player, and we need him on the pitch."
The frustration in his words is clear, and Kovacic's injury record has not been completely stellar in the last 12 months despite some very good form. Like Kante, Jorginho is to enter contract discussion with his deal expiring next summer, and afternoons like Sunday will leave many questioning how well he functions in the centre of the pitch without a specific type of player next to him.
The Blues have added Chukwuemeka this summer, while Gallagher has earned his Chelsea debut this term, but that does not hide the fact that Tuchel's midfield is going through a period of transition. No new central midfielder has been truly added since the summer of 2018 under Maurizio Sarri.
Jorginho arrived in a £50million deal from Napoli, while Mateo Kovacic joined on loan from Real Madrid. The Croatian signed permanently in 2019 for in the region of £40million. That period saw a run of midfielders added, with Tiemoue Bakayoko and Danny Drinkwater joining less successfully in 2017, while Kante arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2016.
That hints that the side could be in need of some rejuvenation or a new shape to ensure that qualities of the likes of Gallagher are highlighted. The 31-year-old Kante and 30-year-old Jorginho may be set for new deals, but a combination of age and injuries are set to ensure that their contributions are likely to decline in the coming months and years. Their contracts end in less than 12 months as things stand, in some respects, the transition has already been too slow.
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