It happened again to Chelsea. And perhaps worst of all, I could see it happening a mile away.
Liam Rosenior’s side took another lead at Stamford Bridge, but this time they dropped two points at home to second-placed Burnley.
After Joao Pedro’s opening goal, the Blues were in control at 1-0, but Wesley Fofana’s red card caused some instability. Burnley’s pressure then increased and Jeanne Fleming headed home the equalizer in stoppage time, denying the Clarets the chance of another win.
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Free to watch: Highlights of the Premier League match between Chelsea and Burnley
Chelsea are still in fourth place, but this is a huge missed opportunity, given that Rosenior’s side have a tough game ahead of them. See below for more details.
Rosenior dismissed questions about his team’s mentality, but pointed out that Chelsea currently have five major problems.
Abandoning the position of commander in a match Wrong decision during attack Red card A player who lacks a sense of responsibility in defense Defending set pieces
Read all these issues analyzed below in a passionate press conference in which Rosenior outlined all of the team’s problems…
relinquish command position in a match
Burnley players celebrate Jean Fleming’s late equalizer at Stamford Bridge
After Sunderland and Leeds came from behind to win and draw respectively, Burnley complete the set of promoted teams and fight back for a reward at Stamford Bridge. A key point from which Chelsea can calculate the cost towards the end of the season.
Chelsea have now dropped 17 points from home wins, but they have only dropped more points once, in 1995/96 (20). If they get these points, they will take the lead.
Rosseniol said: “What happened to me is that we sparked four points in two home games and everyone who watches the game knows that for a club at this level this is not enough.
“It’s not enough to come here and say we were the better team. We need to be a better team in every game. We need to win football games.
“I know the answer and I’ll give it this week. Win or lose, there will be an autopsy after the game.
“I’m learning about the players. I’m learning about the people I can rely on when things go wrong and I need to see the game through. That’s something we need to address very quickly.”
Misjudgment during attack
Giving up Reid wasn’t just a defensive responsibility, it was an offensive one as well.
Chelsea were in complete control after Pedro’s opening goal put them ahead against Burnley. In the second half, Burnley couldn’t get a shot on target until they received a red card.
That’s despite Cole Palmer letting himself down with a number of touches despite penetrating into good areas of the pitch. We had a one-on-one chance in the first half, and it was just before the end of the game that we missed the opening goal against Leeds.
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Liam Rosenior shares his thoughts on Cole Palmer’s stoppage-time mistake as Chelsea close the gap on points with Leeds
Chelsea finished with an xG of 1.88, highlighting that they should have scored the second goal.
Rosenior said: “From the first goal, we lacked the depth when we took the lead. I want the depth. I want to create wave after wave of attack.
“We guarded our ball too safely. When you give any team a one-point advantage, anything can happen. I think the biggest disappointment is not winning these two games, the last two games at home, even though we were in a better position and controlled the game. It’s not my fault.”
red card
It won’t help if you get 8 red cards in the whole competition. He is the sixth player in the Premier League to do so, and one more person to break the club record.
The last time a Premier League team handed out so many red cards in all competitions was in 2015/16, when West Ham fell out of the race for the top four and finished seventh. That’s a real possibility for this Chelsea team.
Rossenia said: “It wasn’t for Wes (against Burnley).
“This was an unfortunate red card for Wesley following the challenge. I felt there was something that could have been dealt with better before the referee overlooked it.”
“But you’re going to get a red card. That’s too many. It’s definitely too many. But when I was in this group, I think our disciplinary record so far has been very good.”
Defending set pieces
If Chelsea had held on to a 1-0 lead, no one would have talked about the above issues, including the red card record.
However, the Blues took the lead. That was because Jeanne Fleming scored a free header from a set piece. It could have been even worse for Chelsea had Jacob Bruun-Larsen fired right after, missing a chance to make it 2-1 from a similar position and instead heading home.
That has been the story of Chelsea’s season. Overall, 38 per cent of Chelsea’s goals conceded in the Premier League have come from dead ball situations, the third highest percentage in the league.
Rosenia said: “We knew their biggest threat to Wall-Prowse on the pitch was set pieces. We made as many big plays as we could because that was the only way they could score with 10 men. We haven’t seen it yet.
“It’s unacceptable that their best header goes free inside the box, the clean sheets aren’t good enough, the fundamentals and values of defending set-pieces aren’t good enough.
“There were players on the pitch who were assigned to do their job and players who didn’t do their job. That’s what cost us the two points.
“Set-pieces are very important in the Premier League, very important. Our performance this season in terms of defending set-pieces is not at the level we need to be to achieve what we want to achieve. That’s something I need to address.”
There is a high possibility that the ranking will drop before the next match. Liverpool can move level on points with the Blues with a win at Nottingham Forest on Saturday. Man United will avoid defeat against Everton and return first.
Players lacking a sense of responsibility in defense
Chelsea’s head coach cited four games during his time at the club in which he conceded goals due to a lack of “concentration and responsibility” to manage the situation.
Those games included recent wins over Crystal Palace and Wolves, but the other two games he mentioned were draws against recently promoted Leeds and Burnley, with Chelsea now dropping points.
“When I was here, we conceded goals away to Wolves, away to Crystal Palace, at home to Leeds and today we conceded goals because of a lack of concentration and a lack of accountability,” said Rosenior.
“If we want to maximize our potential, which I know, we need to address it very quickly.
“I’m learning about the players. I’m learning about the people I can rely on when things go wrong and I need to see the game through. That’s something we need to address very quickly.”
And it won’t be easy for Chelsea…
The match against Burnley was also particularly important for Chelsea considering what lies ahead. The brutal list of matches continues – starting with an away trip to Arsenal, the best set-piece team in the league. It will be broadcast on Sky Sports.
Look at our opponents until the end of April – and after that we still have to play Liverpool and Spurs…
March 1: Arsenal (A), Premier League, kick-off 4.30pm Sky Live broadcastMarch 4: Aston Villa (A), Premier League, kick-off 7.30pm March 7: Wrexham (A), FA Cup fourth round, kick-off 5.45pm March 9/10: Champions League last 16 first leg March 14: Newcastle (H), Premier League, kick-off 5.30pm; Live on Sky March 16/17: Champions League last-16 second leg March 21: Everton (A), Premier League, kick-off 5.30pm, live on Sky April 11: Man City (H), Premier League, kick-off TBA April 18: Man United (H), Premier League, kick-off TBA
