Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez shone on his debut and some other new faces hinted at their potential, but after a ￡300 million (US$361.53 million) spending spree last month the same problems weighed on the Blues in their 0-0 draw with Fulham on Friday.
With only 22 goals scored in 21 Premier League games so far this season, coach Graham Potter has yet to find a way to turn the wealth of talent in his huge squad into a winning machine.
Argentina World Cup-winner Fernandez, bought this week for a British record of almost ￡107 million from SL Benfica, flashed a shot just wide in the 72nd minute after an imperious first-half display of tackling and passing.
Photo: AFP
Fellow debutant David Datro Fofana, on as a substitute after the forward’s transfer from Molde of Norway, had a shot cleared almost off the line seven minutes later.
Noni Madueke, an England youth international who also came off the bench for his first appearance for Chelsea since signing from PSV Eindhoven, showed some pace and drive.
However, for all the buzz created by the string of signings by the club’s new American owners in the mid-season transfer window, there was familiar frustration for the home fans as Chelsea struggled to break down their organized visitors.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“We didn’t do enough in terms of our attacking play to create more, which is something we need to do,” said Potter, who is under pressure to reverse Chelsea’s slide to the middle of the league table. “That bit of connection, that bit of fluidity, that bit of understanding that you need, we lacked a little bit.”
Potter said it was understandable that his side, with wingback Reece James returning from injury alongside the new faces, were not firing on all cylinders.
However, he said he was confident they could yet finish in the top four and qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season.
Chelsea are nine points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester United, who have a game in hand.
“What we need to do now is gel the team. That is the challenge,” Potter said.
Ukraine international Mykhailo Mudryk, another expensive signing made from Shakhtar Donetsk last month, failed to find the space he enjoyed on his debut as a substitute against Liverpool two weeks ago and was replaced by Madueke at halftime.
Potter said that the winger was recovering from a cold.
Fulham boss Marco Silva praised his team, who beat Chelsea 2-1 at Craven Cottage last month.
“From the first minute the players understood really well the plan and they executed really well,” Silva said.
Rather than worry about Chelsea’s new-look squad, he said Fulham made sure they maintained the form that has propelled them to sixth in the table.
“Our focus to be honest is on ourselves ... and what we can do as a team,” the Portuguese coach said. “Our organization was really good and ... we deserved the result.”
ANFIELD BLUES: Kylian Mbappe arrived at Anfield on a run of 21 goals in 17 games, but he managed just three attempts in the match, none of them hitting the target Kylian Mbappe has been nearly unstoppable this season, but he hit a roadblock in their UEFA Champions League match at Anfield on Tuesday. For the second year running, the Real Madrid forward had a night to forget at Merseyside as Liverpool won 1-0. Mbappe looked a shadow of the player who has been tearing defenses apart all season. “We were lacking that threat in the final third,” said Madrid coach Xabi Alonso, without naming Mbappe individually. The FIFA World Cup winner for France rarely looked capable of finding a breakthrough against a Liverpool team who have been so defensively fragile for much of the
LOCAL SUCCESS: In the doubles, Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in straight sets Elena Rybakina on Monday punched her ticket to the WTA Finals last four with an impressive 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory over second seed Iga Swiatek in round-robin play in Riyadh. After cruising past Amanda Anisimova in her opener on Saturday, Rybakina claimed her second win of the week to guarantee herself top spot in the Serena Williams Group. Anisimova on Monday rallied back from a set and a break down to triumph 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in her all-American battle with seventh seed Madison Keys, who has been eliminated from the competition. “Madi was playing so well, it was quite a battle out there,”
Erling Haaland on Sunday scored twice to propel Manchester City up to second in the English Premier League with a 3-1 win over AFC Bournemouth. The Cherries started the day in second thanks to the longest unbeaten run in the English top flight, but Andoni Iraola’s side were undone by the scintillating form of the Norwegian striker, who took his tally to 13 Premier League goals in 10 games. Haaland’s relentless streak is maintaining City’s title challenge as they reduced the gap to leaders Arsenal back to six points and edged one point ahead of Liverpool, who they face at the weekend. “Important
For almost 30 minutes, Vitomir Maricic did not take a breath. Face down in a pool, surrounded by anxious onlookers, the Croatian freediver fought spasming pain to redefine what doctors thought was possible. When he finally surfaced, he had smashed the previous Guinness World Record for the longest breath-hold underwater by nearly five minutes. However, even with the help of pure oxygen before the attempt, it had pushed him to the limit. “Everything was difficult, just overwhelming,” Maricic, 40, told reporters, reflecting on the record-breaking day on June 14. “When I dive, I completely disconnect from everything, as if I’m not even there.
RSS