Raheem Sterling goes close but Chelsea struggle again in Bournemouth draw
For Mauricio Pochettino, it was just not possible to sell this as a hard luck story. His Chelsea team dominated possession, they played on the front foot and they had plenty of possibilities in their approach play. But there was something missing, there remains something missing in this team that he is trying to shape out of the chaos of the summer transfer window.
Quite simply, it is aggression and conviction – particularly in the final third, when the pressure is really on. It was hard to say that anybody in Chelsea’s colours had played well – apart from maybe the stand-in captain, Conor Gallagher.
Pochettino’s eye-catching selection call was Mykhailo Mudryk for Ben Chilwell on the left wing and the manager’s fears about his team – and what they miss – was stamped all over the performance.
Chelsea’s build-up play showed promise, Gallagher driving with the ball, getting into spaces; Sterling menacing with his pace and directness, the sharpness of his turns. It was the end product that they craved and it was horribly absent.
“Attack, attack, attack,” chanted the travelling fans on 37 minutes, even though their team was attacking and having moments. It spoke to a sense of frustration, which was encapsulated, really, by Mudryk.
The Ukrainian had flickers and he could reflect that he set up two chances for Gallagher in the first-half; the second was the clear one. When Mudryk’s pass ran through to Gallagher and he turned Ryan Christie, he had to score. He shot too close to Neto, who saved well. In the debit column for Mudryk were a number of hesitant decisions, involving when to release the ball; weak challenges and a yellow card for a late lunge. The hard truth was that he was uncomfortable to watch at times.
Nicolas Jackson hit the outside of the post for Chelsea with a low shot on 14 minutes that he appeared to scuff and the big chance of the first-half came at the other end. Bournemouth worked a quick free-kick and Pochettino felt his blood run hot when his players switched off. Christie crossed and there was Dango Ouattara stealing in at the far post. Sánchez made an excellent block to deny him.
It was all Chelsea for long spells, Bournemouth offering little as an attacking threat but it was anybody’s guess as to whether the visitors could land the decisive blow. Sterling came extremely close at the start of the second-half with his free-kick, curling it up against the crossbar and down onto the line, with Neto beaten. Levi Colwill converted the rebound but he had strayed offside.
It was hard not to feel sorry for Mudryk when Pochettino substituted him in the 63rd minute, sending on Cole Palmer. Mudryk needs a break so desperately and he cannot get one.
