Chelsea have lost their third consecutive game, losing 2-1 against Aston Villa at Villa Park. The Blues took a 1-0 lead through Enzo Fernández, but it was a game of two halves as Villa scored two second-half goals through Marco Asensio, taking all three points on the day.
Enzo Maresca made plenty of tactical tweaks for this game, bringing Reece James into a more permanent defensive midfield role, which allowed Malo Gusto to overlap from right back and Cole Palmer to drift from the right wing.
The Blues held 48% of the ball, but still managed to take more shots than Villa (15). However, the Villans did generate more xG with 2.56, compared to Chelsea’s 2.12 xG, with Unai Emery’s side also creating three “big chances” compared to Chelsea’s two.
So what exactly went wrong in the game, with such a good first half performance, what were the key differences in the second half?
Filip Jorgensen’s moment of madness
Filip Jorgensen made a crucial error when the Blues were still tied 1-1 with the Villans in the 89th minute, spilling a well-struck volley into his own net, gifting Asensio with his second goal of the game.
The Danish keeper made four saves in the game, but, of course, did have a costly late error which turned one point into zero for the away side. Jorgensen also had a 61% passing accuracy, misplacing nine of his 11 long balls attempted in the game.
The young stopper has been the first-choice in recent weeks, in place of Robert Sanchez – who has made five errors leading to a goal in the Premier League this season – although having also shipped three at the Amex last time out, he’s hardly taking his chance with both hands.
But Jorgensen wasn’t the only player to have a poor performance for the Blues, as another individual was rated even worse by The Standard, earning himself a 4/10 match rating.
Christopher Nkunku’s woes continued
Christopher Nkunku has been playing out of position for much of the season. Despite being a more natural attacking midfielder, the Frenchman has had to sacrifice his best position to Cole Palmer, which has seen Nkunku playing as a striker or left-winger.
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Christopher Nkunku vs Aston Villa performance |
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|---|---|
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Stat |
Nkunku |
|
Minutes |
76 |
|
Touches |
44 |
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Accurate Passes |
23/23 |
|
Key Passes |
2 |
|
Shots |
1 |
|
Successful Dribbles |
1/4 |
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Ground Duels Won |
6/13 |
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Tackles |
3 |
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Interceptions |
2 |
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Stats taken from Sofascore |
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Despite having 100% passing accuracy in the game, making two key passes and even putting in a shift off the ball, winning six ground duels, making three tackles and two interceptions, Nkunku wasn’t involved enough on the attacking end, often struggling to get himself in the game out on the left wing.
The few times he did receive the ball, he often had to check back inside, slowing Chelsea’s momentum and allowing Villa to regroup defensively. It doesn’t quite seem to be clicking between Nkunku and Palmer, who often prefer to operate in the same areas.
With Nicolas Jackson, Noni Madueke and even Marc Guiu all missing from the Chelsea front line, Nkunku may be afforded a few more chances, but he is surely operating on borrowed time now, as Chelsea fans’ patience is running thin with the French star.
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