DBasia.news – Chelsea’s 4-0 win over Malmo in the Champions League has made them pay a heavy price. In that match, the Blues lost Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner who were injured.
Although Lukaku and Werner had to leave the field, Chelsea’s sharpness against Malmo appeared unaffected. Losing two attackers in one match will actually shake the team.
Against Malmo, Chelsea first lost Romelu Lukaku in the 23rd minute. Lukaku collapsed after being tackled by Lasse Nielsen. In the 44th minute, it was Timo Werner’s turn to step aside as he appeared to be in pain in the hamstring area.
If you look at the match, the departure of Lukaku and Werner did not really have much effect. Especially when both were pulled out, the Blues were already 2-0 up, and could still add two goals.
Here you can see the luxury of Chelsea’s squad. Even though they lost a player with a total value of 150 million pounds, Chelsea are still tough.
However, the question is, to what extent will the absence of the two strikers, especially Lukaku, for the following matches.
“I think they will miss a few games. Right now only Christian Pulisic is injured. We lost, but that can’t be an excuse,” Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel told BT Sport after the match against Malmo.
When Lukaku and Werner were sidelined against Malmo, Kai Havertz and Callum Hudson-Odoi came in. The last two players can be said to be experiencing difficulties. The inclusion of Lukaku made them drop in the line-up to play.
Coming on as a substitute, Hudson-Odoi, who has not played since before the international break, did well by setting up Havertz’s Chelsea goal.
Meanwhile Havertz scored an impressive goal by releasing a lob over Malmo goalkeeper Johan Dahlin. The brilliant action ended his sprint action to receive Hudson-Odoi’s pass.
Goals from the collaboration of Hudson-Odoi and Havertz became an illustration of the depth of Chelsea’s front line. Something that was built before Tuchel came.
It is undeniable that the loss of Lukaku and Werner is a blow for Chelsea. Moreover, they also have not been able to use Pulisic’s power, which has been absent for more than a month. Not to mention, lately Chelsea can be said to be losing his sharpness.
In recent weeks, it has been seen how Lukaku lacks support. Despite being brilliant at the start of the season, Lukaku’s flow of goals has dried up lately. The Belgian striker has now scored seven games without a goal.
Believe it or not, at a time when the midfield and forward have experienced a downturn, the back row has emerged as the backbone of the Blues. Not only with a clean sheet, but also in terms of scoring goals. Observing the statistics, 16 of Chelsea’s last 20 goals were born thanks to goals or assists from the back line.
This season Chelsea’s goals have come from 14 different players. Of the 14 players, only Lukaku has scored more than two goals in 13 games in all competitions.
For the next match, the absence of Lukaku and Werner is a momentum to test Chelsea’s depth. In other words, the players who had been the second choice had to show up to prove themselves.
“It is very important to prove. We will be without Romelu and Timo for a few games. So everyone is invited to compete for the chance to play,” said Tuchel.
“When they are on the pitch they have to show hunger and determination.”