Maresca must drop Chelsea star who lost the ball 17x

Chelsea failed to get themselves back on track after a defeat in midweek, drawing 0-0 away to Bournemouth.

The Cherries were the better side, frustrating Enzo Maresca‘s men, who are still in search of their first Premier League win since beating Burnley at the end of November.

Despite having an almost full-strength side, which included Cole Palmer from the start for the first time since September 20th, Chelsea were lacklustre going forward. They managed just 11 shots and racked an expected goals tally of just 0.88xG.

The Blues had an early scare, too, with Bournemouth attacker Antoine Semenyo having a goal ruled out in the opening moments of the game. The goal was cancelled due to a tight offside against striker Evanilson, giving Chelsea an early lifeline.

There was also bad news for the West Londoners on the injury front, with Liam Delap forced off after just 32 minutes. He picked up a shoulder injury, which BBC Sport report could be a dislocated shoulder. That issue could see the Chelsea number nine sidelined for as long as four months.

It was a tough day at the office for Chelsea, with Enzo Fernandez putting in a performance to forget.

Fernandez’s stats vs. Bournemouth

Chelsea were once again without Fernandez’s usual midfield partner, Moises Caicedo, after his red card against Arsenal last weekend. Up against an energetic Cherries midfield, it was a day when the 2022 World Cup winner struggled.

Indeed, without Caicedo next to him, the Argentine midfielder certainly had his work cut out in the middle of the park, having more defensive responsibility than he might if the Ecuadorian were partnered with him.

The stats from Fernandez’s performance reflect how tough of an afternoon it was for him defensively. He only managed to win five out of 11 duels, as per Sofascore, committed two fouls and failed to win his only tackle. It was certainly a day when he struggled off the ball.

Football London journalist Bobby Vincent was critical of the Chelsea number eight, too. He said Fernandez ‘looks fatigued’ at the moment, but did call it ‘understandable’ given the amount of football he has played this season.

However, it was not just the 35-cap Argentina international who struggled for the West Londoners.

Chelsea’s worst player vs. Bournemouth

It was a day to forget for left-back Marc Cucurella. The Spaniard, normally a player so reliable at full-back and composed in position, was wasteful against the South Coast outfit and put in a performance far from his best.

It was a surprisingly sloppy showing in possession from the former Barcelona star. He had 69 touches of the ball, so he was constantly involved, but lost it 17 times.

Out of possession, he only won 50% of his duels.

One person who didn’t seem too impressed with the defender’s showing at the Vitality Stadium was Vincent. He gave Cucurella a 6/10 for his afternoon’s work down south, describing his performance as ‘nothing extraordinary’.

The games are now coming thick and fast for Chelsea. They have a busy festive period, with assignments in the Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup.

After a poor performance against Bournemouth and the number of games they have, it’ll be interesting to see if Maresca keeps Cucurella in the side.

There are options if he wishes to rotate the Spaniard out of the starting 11. Jorrel Hato is the natural back-up left-back, but he hasn’t played too much this season. Reece James and Malo Gusto could also operate on that side.

How Maresca looks after the fitness of his most important players this month will be key to their form. After a poor performance from Cucurella, it gives the Blues boss a chance to rest and rotate.

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