Chelsea's £250m Attack Misfires - But Should They Be Worried?

Chelsea utilized six attackers signed for a mixed £250m successful their Premier League opener, but could not find a measurement to people against Crystal Palace.

Joao Pedro, signed from Brighton this summertime for £55m, started up front. Winger Jamie Gittens, who joined from Borussia Dortmund for £52m past month, made his debut connected 1 flank, pinch £45m man Pedro Neto connected nan other.

Cole Palmer, nan £40m attacking midfielder, played successful down arsenic a number 10 - but contempt Chelsea's attacking riches it was Palace who dominated nan early stages and almost opened nan scoring.

Midfielder Eberechi Eze rifled location a 13th-minute free-kick, but nan extremity was subsequently ruled retired by VAR because Palace skipper Marc Guehi was little than 1 metre distant from nan hosts' protect wall.

Chelsea responded successful nan 2nd half by bringing connected 2 much caller attacking signings - £29m winger Estevao Willian, who joined from Palmeiras, and £30m erstwhile Ipswich striker Liam Delap.

They some missed large chances, arsenic did chap substitute Andrey Santos, arsenic nan Blues were held to a goalless tie astatine Stamford Bridge successful a disappointing commencement to nan caller season.

While this was only 1 match, and nary titles are decided connected nan opening weekend, location will beryllium ongoing scrutiny astir Chelsea if they neglect to build connected their Club World Cup triumph successful nan summer.

Some person tipped nan Blues to equine a title challenge, but they will request to amended some productivity and goal-scoring to situation champions Liverpool and nan likes of Arsenal and Manchester City complete a 38-game season.

That said, Chelsea's soul target remains to suffice for adjacent season's Champions League done a top-four finish.

When they excavation into nan information aft nan match, Chelsea will spot 1 worrying statistic: they had conscionable 3 shots connected target - 1 less than Palace managed complete 90 minutes.

However, they will beryllium much encouraged by nan fig of 1.81 expected goals (xG), which was superior to Palace's 1.07, and was nan Blues' highest xG fig without scoring successful a convention lucifer successful 2025.

It was nan 2-0 conclusion distant astatine Ipswich successful December past twelvemonth erstwhile Chelsea past amassed specified chances without scoring.

Figures show that 88% of teams pinch an xG of betwixt 1.7 and 1.9 person scored astatine slightest erstwhile since nan commencement of nan 2022-23 Premier League season.

It serves to item some immoderate bad luck and mediocre finishing, pinch Chelsea's champion chance, according to Opta, being deed good complete by midfielder Santos connected his weaker near ft successful nan dying moments.

Chelsea are improbable to beryllium worried astatine this early stage.

But they will cognize that triumph successful nan Club World Cup will not easy construe into nan Premier League, peculiarly aft a truncated 13-day pre-season having becoming world champions successful July.

Manager Enzo Maresca was reluctant to blasted a deficiency of pre-season for Sunday's display, saying: "I don't deliberation so, because until nan extremity we competed. We effort to triumph nan game. I deliberation we had immoderate chances astatine nan extremity pinch Estevao and Andrey Santos.

"So that showed that astir apt we competed rather bully overall. For sure, they already played, I think, seven, 8 games (in pre-season). And for us, past week we played 2 games, but we tried to stock minutes.

"So nan existent crippled for america was today. But for sure, slowly, slow we're going to beryllium better."

Joao Pedro, Gittens, Estevao and Delap are each caller signings that whitethorn request clip to furniture into their caller surroundings and build an knowing pinch their team-mates.

Former Brighton striker Joao Pedro looks nan astir fresh to deed nan crushed running, pinch 3 goals successful his 3 competitory starts for Chelsea having trim his vacation successful Brazil short to return portion successful nan Club World Cup.

That contrasts starkly pinch Palace, who selected 10 of nan aforesaid 11 players who started nan FA Cup last and Community Shield wins against Manchester and Liverpool, pinch only injured midfielder Daichi Kamada unavailable to play.

Maresca's biggest ongoing interest is nan superior wounded to defender Levi Colwill, which he feels disrupts their expertise to play retired from nan back.

The Italian coach has asked nan nine to motion a caller centre-back but they person told him to activity pinch what he has sewage - and academy postgraduate Josh Acheampong earned praise from his head aft stepping into Colwill's place.

Maresca added: "Today he did very well, he dealt pinch [Jean-Philippe] Mateta very well. So overall, he did a bully game."

Striker Nicolas Jackson was suspended aft a reddish paper against Newcastle precocious past season, but would not person been selected had he been available.

Chelsea stay unfastened to trading Jackson and chap attacker Christopher Nkunku and are besides successful nan marketplace to motion a forward, pinch some Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho and RB Leipzig's versatile attacker Xavi Simons targeted earlier nan transportation model shuts connected 1 September.