Raheem Sterling should have passed it, and Armando Broja and Nicolas Jackson were awful, but incredibly, it’s the Chelsea defence that’s now the biggest concern. There’s still time to change your Christmas list, Poch.
Just pass it, mate. Through on goal with Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson alongside him, Sterling’s shot was comfortably saved by Jose Sa. Palmer, like everyone watching, could not believe his teammate’s greed.
Chelsea had been on top up to that point – fluent even – with Sterling’s pace, Palmer’s passing and the two strikers’ runs in behind causing Wolves problems. But in typical Chelsea style, they failed to make their dominance count, increasing their lead at the top of the ‘Big Chances Missed’ charts – that’s now 36 this season, or two per game. Just pass it, mate.
Buoyed by Chelsea’s inability to convert a chance yer da would have made the most of after third helpings of turkey and a bottle of Baileys, the Wolves players responded, putting pressure on the Blues centre-backs to the point where the entire team gave up on defending.
Toti Gomes saw his free header at the back post saved by Djordje Petrovic before Mario Lemina quite literally stood still from a corner to nod the ball past the Serbian.
The goal besides, the Wolves players were able to force mistakes by doing little more than standing in the vicinity of their opponents, who collectively forgot how to control the ball on a day in which Chelsea’s defensive fragility more than matched their profligacy in front of goal.
The defence is more of a concern than the attack right now.
Though there’s no guarantee a £100m striker will come in and score goals, that is an obvious solution to their attacking woes. Christopher Nkunku’s debut, capped with a fine header, provided cause for optimism, as did the strong and direct running of Noni Madueke. It’s a wonder he’s not been used more by Mauricio Pochettino.
Such is the range of attacking options, assuming the owners do indeed sign a big-money striker in January or the summer, it feels like Pochettino – or whomever else might be managing Chelsea Football Club – will have to work quite hard not to stumble on a solution that works.
It’s not so easy to see a solution in defence that doesn’t involve buying an entirely new back four.
Reece James will have started eight more games in his Chelsea career than he’s been injured for by the time he’s scheduled to return from his latest injury, assuming Chelsea make the League Cup final and FA Cup quarter-finals (quite the stretch as things stand, admittedly). So they need a new right-back to cover their eternally crocked captain.
Ben Chilwell is just as injury-prone and didn’t seem to be particularly fancied by Pochettino when he was fit. Marc Cucurella isn’t good enough. So they need a new left-back.
Despite being continually compared to luxury cars, the synapses between Thiago Silva’s feet and his brain are severed at least once a game, as was the case against Wolves, and if he’s got any sense he’ll leave this mess of a football club at the end of the season anyway.
Axel Disasis are ten a penny and Benoit Badiashile followed up his absolute howler against Newcastle by controlling the ball in his own six-yard box for Matt Doherty to seal the game for Wolves.
Wesley Fofana coming back and being anything close to the brilliant centre-back he was for Leicester would surprise everyone, and Levi Colwill’s return to Chelsea has deserved little more than a shoulder shrug.
That’s nearly £200m of centre-back signings, plus Colwill and Silva, and none of them look up to it.
It could be a system problem, they may need more time to form bonds and partnerships. But does anyone really expect any of these players to reach the heights of the best in the Premier League? Surely that’s what the Chelsea owners were hoping for having spent such ridiculous sums.
Is Badiashile going to match William Saliba? Can Colwill be Chelsea’s Virgil van Dijk? John Terry must be watching these games with his new screaming pillow handy, with the last one now in the bin having been torn apart by his teeth in a particular fit of rage.
The starting XI on Sunday was a poignant one for Chelsea fans questioning what the owners of their club have spent £1bn on since they arrived at the club. A strike force of Broja and Jackson with Petrovic in goal and Lesley Ugochukwu in central midfield doesn’t scream ONE THOUSAND MILLION.
The game highlighted the need for a striker – but then that’s been the case in the vast majority of Chelsea games since Diego Costa left the club. And they will sign one – it’s a given.
But far more worrying was the obvious need for a fair whack of yankee dollar to be spent on a back four that can both stay fit and defend to a level consistent with where Chelsea want to go. Because they’re never going to get there with this lot.