According to former player Gary Neville, the 2-2 draw with Arsenal in round 9 of the Premier League showed that Chelsea needs to strengthen the goalkeeper, center-back and striker positions.
"The game showed Chelsea's blueprint for the future," Neville said on his podcast after the game at Stamford Bridge. "They still have problems in attack with a striker missing, and I still think they have problems with the age of Thiago Silva. He's very important but he's 39. And Robert Sanchez, I wonder if he can be a good goalkeeper?"
In return for the above problems, according to the former England defender, Chelsea's midfield and wingers played brilliantly, while full-backs Marc Cucurella and Malo Gusto performed well while two mainstays Reece James and Ben Chilwell could not start.
Thiago Silva (left) chases Declan Rice as Chelsea and Arsenal draw 2-2 in the 9th round of the Premier League at Stamford Bridge, London on October 21. Photo: arsenal.com
At Stamford Bridge yesterday, due to Armando Broja's injury and Nicolas Jackson's lack of fitness, Chelsea started with the attacking trio of Raheem Sterling - Cole Palmer - Mykhailo Mudryk.
The trio played with great enthusiasm, helping Chelsea score two goals at the beginning of each half. In the 14th minute, Raheem Sterling crossed from the right for Mykhaylo Mudryk to head the ball into the hands of centre-back William Saliba, winning a penalty. From the 11m mark, Cole Palmer shot low into the left corner, contrary to David Raya's prediction. Early in the second half, Mudryk doubled the gap with a strong cross that flew straight into the far corner.
Chelsea's defense, led by Thiago Silva, played well, not allowing Arsenal to create many chances. But mistakes at the end of the match cost Chelsea. In the 77th minute, goalkeeper Robert Sanchez made a wrong pass, indirectly allowing Declan Rice to shoot one-touch from more than 35 meters away, sending the ball into the far corner of the empty goal. In the 84th minute, Bukayo Saka eliminated Gusto and crossed to the far post for substitute Leandro Trossard to cross the corner to make the score 2-2.
Goalkeeper Raya reaches for the ball after making amends for his pass to Cole Palmer, which almost led to a goal for Arsenal in the draw with Chelsea on October 21. Photo: Reuters
On the other side, David Raya also had a less than impressive day. The Spanish goalkeeper seemed to be standing a little too high and could not reach the ball when Mudryk scored. A few minutes later, he passed it straight to Palmer in the penalty area, but he made amends by diving in to save the goal.
Neville believes Raya's performance has put Mikel Arteta under more pressure to drop Aaron Ramsdale from the starting line-up. "If a goalkeeper makes a mistake, it's the goalkeeper's problem," the 48-year-old continued. "The problem is Arsenal have a very good goalkeeper who has been benched for doing nothing wrong. Everyone was surprised when Ramsdale lost his place. We thought it would only happen for a few games, but now it looks like Raya is first choice. The problem is that Raya is starting to get nervous and making mistakes."
Similarly, Jamie Redknapp said Raya's positioning for Chelsea's second goal has not shown he is good enough to be a first-choice goalkeeper and will continue to be "scrutinised" by the British media. "Raya is really struggling with the pressure and attention from outside," said the former Liverpool midfielder. "Raya is losing the ball and struggling to keep clean sheets. It's not helping him."
Hong Duy
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