Chelsea found themselves heavily pummeled by their London rivals. It was a defeat they never anticipated. The Blues have been experiencing an incessant form this season.
Nonetheless, their record against the Big Six hasn’t been awful, except for their 4-1 loss at Anfield. Playing against the Gunners was meant to be a challenging task for them. But the Blues have been known to turn up in big games.
Chelsea went into the game missing certain key players. They had initially managed to hold their own in the first half, but they ended up capitulating in the 2nd half.
It was a shocking loss away from home for Chelsea. Yet their Manager has raised a strong defense saying “We were talking at half-time, saying it is not possible to start a game like that at this level”
Pochettino’s View on the 5-0 loss
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Chelsea’s Manager, Pochettino reacted about the team’s display. He pointed out how disappointed he was. However, he also defended his team despite their performance.
“We were talking at half-time”, Pochettino said. “Saying it is not possible to start a game like that at this level.
“but we started in a bad way again in the second half and conceded two goals. Then I think the team gave up and we were not in the game”
He also expressed his disappointment in the team’s performance.
“I feel disappointed, really bad”, Pochettino said. “The performance wasn’t good, we didn’t start the game in the way we were supposed to start”
He also continued saying “We conceded the goal too easy. We made things so easy for Arsenal. Started the game losing the game and after that, it was tough. 10 or 15 minutes after we conceded. We started to play a little bit and create some chances like we started the game again.
“Then in the second half, the way we started when it went 3-0. I think in this moment the team started to suffer a lot and struggled to manage the game”
Pochettino rounded up saying “We cannot blame the players. I’m not going to blame the players. The circumstances are bigger than the performance of the players.
“We cannot blame young guys who came here and after suffering some circumstances. Come here to fight against a team preparing to win the Premier League.
“We cannot be unfair to our players. We are indeed disappointed with our performance. but I am not going to say something that is unfair to describe our team, our players, our squad”
Also Read: How Saka Saved Havertz Arsenal Career From A Massive Dip
Chelsea’s humiliating defeat at the Emirates
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The London derby kicked off at the Emirates. Chelsea were without the likes of Cole Palmer, and Malo Gusto. This was a big blow for them. Nevertheless, Pochettino had claimed before the game that his boys would still put out a strong display.
The first half started tricky for Chelsea. Some moments of lack of concentration led to the Gunner ripping through their defense. The Gunners took the lead very early with a goal from Trossard.
A quick fine interplay between Havertz and Rice gave an opening for Trossard. The Belgian easily slots the ball past Petrovic.
The Gunners began to pressure more, leading to a lot of chances. At the end of it, they lacked the cutting edge. Kai Havertz also saw a few opportunities but they were squandered away.
Chelsea had their fair share of chances. Nicholas Jackson who pioneered most of it couldn’t find the net. The first half looked promising for the blue, but the other half became a nightmare.
The Second half came and the Gunners went rioting. Havertz later found the net twice, whilst Ben white also got a brace. The Blues got some opportunities to reduce the gap, but they were blunt in front of goal.
More hurdles to come
Chelsea will travel to Villa Park in their next game. They’ll be hoping to grind out some important points against Unai Emery’s side. No doubt it’ll also be another frantic game for them. But a win or draw is their hope for securing European football next season.
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