The latest explanation from Frank Lampard for Chelsea’s now weekly humiliation was that they were “too nice to play against”.
After being torn apart by Arsenal, Lampard said his players lacked aggression and warned the problems at Stamford Bridge would not be fixed overnight. If he was watching on television from afar, prospective new head coach Mauricio Pochettino will have been alarmed by just how bad things have got for Chelsea.
When Gabriel Jesus made it 3-0 to Arsenal after 34 minutes, there were four Chelsea players lying on the pitch inside their own six-yard box.
Four Arsenal touches in the penalty area had gone uncontested in another damming indictment of Chelsea’s season. It showed a lack of willingness to compete or make challenges. In fact, for all three Arsenal goals, only Noni Madueke made any real attempt to win the ball back in the build-up.
After a rank first-half display, and on the evidence of their recent performances, there is an argument that Chelsea are the worst team in the Premier League right now. Even rock-bottom Southampton offered more against Arsenal a few weeks ago.
Ben Chilwell, Enzo Fernandez and Thiago Silva argued on the pitch in the first half and one of the major jobs that Pochettino has on his hands is repairing a fractured dressing room.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang came off at half-time, having had just nine touches of the ball, four of which were from kick-offs, during a miserable return to Emirates Stadium. The unfit striker was left humiliated in what proved to be an awful call by Lampard.
Chelsea did slightly improve after the break and they scored a consolation through Madueke. But after the match, Lampard admitted Chelsea are a soft touch. “We were nice to play against in every way, nice off the ball, passive,” he said. “Things we spoke about before the game, defensively, we didn’t do. We didn’t restrict space between the lines, we didn’t pressure the ball, we didn’t make contact with them.”
Lampard went on to say the players in the Chelsea squad are “good lads” but told them they need to find an aggressive streak on the pitch.
Pochettino must be thinking, ‘Where is the tough Chelsea I fought against with Tottenham?’
If, as expected, he is appointed as the new Chelsea head coach, Pochettino needs to address a fitness issue that will not help his bid to make them harder to beat. There is also a question of motivation, not just in matches but on a daily basis in training, with little to play for and with an interim manager they know will be gone at the end of the season.
Some fans would argue they should play for the badge, but many players feel the club has lost its identity and made broken promises about their roles in the squad. There may also be something deeper. For all the £600million-plus they have spent this season, have Chelsea recruited the right personalities?
Thomas Tuchel described Antonio Rudiger as an “aggressive leader”, but he has not been properly replaced since leaving for Real Madrid; nor has the charismatic personality of former vice-captain Jorginho, who started for Arsenal.
Late on, a furious Wesley Fofana threw a tantrum after being substituted for Trevoh Chalobah.
In front of the cameras last night, Chelsea players went through both embarrassment and trauma. There was no hiding place.
Chelsea might not win another point this season and they are set for their lowest finish, lowest points total and lowest goals total ever in the Premier League.
Pochettino, or whoever comes in next, will take over a team at rock bottom.
