"In the last four matches, we have one clean sheet," a rather exasperated Thomas Tuchel said after his Chelsea side had been beaten by Everton at a raucous Goodison Park. "And that is the only win [against West Ham United] that we have. So I am very disappointed. We struggle to play without big mistakes. It's why we struggle to have results."
The trip to Goodison was game 58 of what has proved an arduous campaign for Chelsea's staff and players. Bodies are weary. Minds too. It's perhaps why unexplainable errors have become commonplace in recent weeks. Against Real Madrid, it was Edouard Mendy culpable. Andreas Christensen was at fault when Arsenal visited Stamford Bridge. And yesterday, it was the turn of Cesar Azpilicueta.
Over the past decade, Chelsea's club captain has proved himself Mr. Dependable. It's why he's never made fewer than 40 appearances in a season. Right-back or left-back, wing-back or centre-back, Azpilicueta has almost always delivered for the club he joined in 2012 from Marseille.
