Chelsea - Tuchel Needs Goals to challenge Manchester City

Chelsea have struggled to produce free-flowing attacking football over the past 12 months. Some of that has been put down to the misfiring attackers at the club.

The Blues have lost their two strikers from last season. Romelu Lukaku’s disappointing move has been cut short after he was loaned back to Internazionale. Barely a year after joining Chelsea for a record £97.5m. Joining him in departing this week, is Timo Werner who moved back to Leipzig for €30M.

Like Lukaku, Werner has decided to head back to the place where he played his best football Just two years after leaving. Werner was hardworking in a Chelsea shirt and always put in a shift but it is difficult to argue with Thomas Tuchel’s decision to let him leave.

The Statistics

The numbers tell their own story. There was plenty of excitement when he joined Chelsea, who beat off competition from Liverpool and Bayern Munich. He arrived after scoring 34 goals in all competitions for Leipzig during the 2019-20 season, but it has not worked out. The qualities that made Werner so deadly in the Bundesliga, the direct running and his raw pace have not proved effective against Premier League defences. At the end of last season, he seemed weighed down by a series of missed chances.

In order for Chelsea to move forward, Tuchel needs fresh options up front. He has already brought in Raheem Sterling, but more is required. The numbers around Chelsea’s attacking players are telling. Only Mason Mount, who is not a striker, hit double figures in the league last season. Watching Chelsea play Everton last weekend, there was little sign of an improvement. They were blunt as an attacking force, winning a drab game by a Jorginho Penalty. The creative emphasis is on the wing‑backs, Reece James and Ben Chilwell. At times it looks as if Chelsea are reliant on set pieces, or one of their front three conjuring something special out of nothing.

Kai Havertz

As for Kai Havertz, expectations will be much higher this season with Lukaku and Werner gone. This is a big year for Havertz, who was once again disappointing against Everton. Chelsea need him to step up consistently or risk falling even further behind Manchester City.