Chelsea were unable to find any sort of quality against Newcastle United in the Premier League, losing 1-0 to drop more crucial points in a tight race for Champions League places. Here are three players to blame the most for the display.
DM Moises Caicedo
Moises Caicedo has probably been Chelsea’s best player this season, but you would not have guessed it based on this game. He worked hard and won the ball a couple of times, but even his defensive work was below his standard as Chelsea spent the game chasing shadows.
So much of his passing was lacking in creativity. While he was not sloppy, he was so plodding in possession and was a huge part of the problem, wastimg time on the ball and slowing the game down so Newcastle were always in control out of possession.
RB Malo Gusto
Both Malo Gusto and Reece James were actually on the pitch at the same time to start the game with James pushing higher up into that midfield role, but you can see exactly why the captain is preferred so much to the Frenchman.
Gusto is just so frustratingly inconsistent. He does not offer enough ball winning, and for as much as he is praised for being an attacking difference maker, the quality of his final ball just is not there.
Chelsea hooked Gusto off at the half, and he was beyond terrible in this one. Really says a lot that he was arguably the worst player on the pitch when Chelsea played this badly as a team.
CF Joao Pedro
Massively disappointing. Joao Pedro was Chelsea’s most in form player coming into the game, but instead of watching him and Cole Palmer connect well in the final third, the Brazilian star was leaving his playmaker hung out to dry.
Pedro created nothing, never took defenders on, and was a genuine passenger in a game in which he needed to be a superstar. He took terrible shots, and while he had some nice moments in hold up play, you can see that this just was not his day from a pure quality perspective. Also hooked off early, at the hour mark.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.