Twenty-one shots. Eight of them on target. Chelsea, once again, were wasteful in front of goal in Wednesday's defeat away at Borussia Dortmund.
It's been the common tale of the Blues' season; being unable to convert their opportunities in front of goal. Granted, Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel had a good game on Wednesday, but Chelsea not scoring at Signal Iduna Park is a concern and it's not a new one. The visitors finished with an xG of 2.13, in comparison to the hosts' 1.41.
In Chelsea's 23-man squad for the match in west Germany, Graham Potter picked just one striker. And, rather ironically, it was Kai Havertz who is not a natural centre-forward as such – he's more of a false nine.
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Chelsea's natural strikers who were not chosen in the final Champions League squad earlier this month – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and David Datro Fofana – did not travel with the rest of their teammates to Germany. Fofana was unfortunate to miss out after signing from Molde last month, but the reality is because of the amount of additions the club brought in over the transfer window, there were always going to be players who missed out.
As for Aubameyang, it is clear he does not have a future with Chelsea. Signed in September for around £12million, the former Arsenal captain was brought in by Thomas Tuchel, who had worked with the striker at Borussia Dortmund. There was a hope a reunion could bring back Aubameyang's best form – the sort of form that saw him score 98 goals in 144 Bundesliga appearances.
However, their reunion was short-lived. Tuchel was relieved of his duties at Stamford Bridge just five days after the signing of Aubameyang was announced by the club. Potter took charge on September 8 and Aubameyang's future was immediately placed into doubt.
Now, more than five months after Potter's appointment as head coach, that has become clear. The 33-year-old has made just 10 starts for Chelsea under Potter's leadership. He's scored just three goals in that time and has failed to impress whenever called upon.
Aubameyang's last appearance for Chelsea came back on January 21 where he played just over 10 minutes in the goalless draw with Liverpool at Anfield. It was rather telling when Potter left the experienced forward out of the club's Champions League squad. It proved – although it hardly needed proving – Aubameyang does not have a long-term future with the club.
There is, however, a feeling on social media with some Chelsea supporters that Potter could have done a lot worse than bringing someone like the Gabonese forward on in Wednesday night's defeat to Dortmund. Albeit he isn't the same attacking threat as he has been in the past, he is someone who is rather clinical when an opportunity arises.
He is not the presser Potter wants, that is clear. But with the creativity Chelsea now possess after signing the likes of Mykhailo Mudryk, Joao Felix and Noni Madueke, this feels like a side that is much more unpredictable than what Aubameyang has played with previously. There is definitely an argument – whether it's right or wrong is hard to tell at this point – that Aubameyang would be provided with more chances with this current attacking setup than he had been given previously.
For all the pros of Aubameyang being given an opportunity, it's clear this will not happen unless something drastically changes. Potter is likely to persist with Havertz and even Fofana looks to be ahead of Aubameyang in the pecking order at the moment. Aubameyang's future at Stamford Bridge looks bleak to say the least.
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