Bournemouth V Chelsea: Pictures
Chelsea legend Frank Leboeuf laid into his former club after Sunday’s goalless draw with Bournemouth, with Conor Gallagher singled out. New manager Mauricio Pochettino has made a slow start to life at Stamford Bridge, and the Argentine is under pressure to remedy the side’s attacking issues.
The Blues once again wheeled out the big guns at the Vitality Stadium. Serial Premier League champion Raheem Sterling, £88million signing Mykhaylo Mudryk and exciting summer recruit Nicolas Jackson made up the front three, although Chelsea’s attack remained blunt and ineffective.
Despite registering 14 shots, not one of them resulted in a goal as the game ended 0-0, leaving Pochettino’s side a lowly 14th in the Premier League table. They also drew a blank against Nottingham Forest in their final game before the international break.
Leboeuf, who starred for Chelsea between 1996 and 2001, has gone on the offensive, with Chelsea’s incompetence up top leaving him lost for words.
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“We shouldn’t be talking about Chelsea until they manage to score even one goal because there is nothing much to say,” the Frenchman told ESPN. “They are good until they reach the final third and then you see stuff I have never seen in my life.”
Leboeuf went on to point out one moment in the second half which left him seething. “[Conor] Gallagher had a chance to play an easy four-yard pass to Jackson and he put it behind him,” he added. “I got up from my sofa, screamed and said ‘how is that possible?’. They do silly, stupid, clumsy stuff in the final third which does not allow them to score goals.”
Jackson in particular has faced scrutiny since his £32m switch from Villarreal, with the 22-year-old managing only one goal in five appearances so far and wasting a host of high-quality chances.
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Blues fans will be eager for Christopher Nkunku to return from injury, having impressed during pre-season. Fellow striker Armando Broja is also closing in on a return after a lengthy layoff, meaning Jackson’s days through the middle could be numbered.
With one win in five league games to kick-start his Chelsea stewardship, Pochettino will hope for a drastic improvement when Aston Villa visit Stamford Bridge next Sunday.
“With the chances we created in the first 20, 25 minutes [against Bournemouth], I think we deserved in this moment to score but we didn’t score,” stated the Argentine after the final whistle.
“Then the game was open, the last 15, 20 minutes I think we wanted to win. I’m disappointed with the result because we wanted to win but of course, we know the circumstances. Again we deserve more but we didn’t get what we deserve.”
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