Real Madrid to add insult to injury at Stamford Bridge

Published on

The return of club legend Frank Lampard was met with emotion and excitement from the Chelsea faithful, with the Boehly and Egbahli regime given some breathing room to explore permanent managerial options.

Just three games into Super Frank’s return, the fans have turned once again after three losses on the bounce. The results are not the sole cause of the fans’ frustration and disbelief, but rather the manner in which the most expensive Premier League squad in history has been defeated, is of concern.

A 1-0 defeat away to Wolves could be perceived as teething problems, with Chelsea looking more positive on attack, recording 13 shots on goal and dominating possession with roughly 65%. But a moment of magic decided the game, with Mattheus Nunes’ wonder goal the difference.

Next it was a trip to the Santiago Bernabeu, a three-goal winning prediction by Boehly was met with a humbling two-goal defeat, another sign of the American’s misjudgement. Madrid had 18 shots on goal to Chelsea’s seven, miles ahead on the pitch with Vinicius Jr tearing Wesley Fofana and Reece James to pieces. Ancelotti’s side barely got out of second gear; the contrast was clear as day.

Their most recent result is most concerning, a 2-1 home defeat to Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton. Chelsea’s one-goal lead was short-lived, with the Seagulls embarrassing the hosts. Brighton had 26 shots at goal, more than triple Chelsea’s attempts in the 90 minutes.

A relieved Lampard was lucky the score stayed 2-1, with the home side well and truly outplayed at Stamford Bridge as Brighton collected their first ever victory at Chelsea.

Tonight, they host Real Madrid for the return fixture, with Boehly and co hoping for a UEFA Champions League miracle. One may argue that form is irrelevant when it comes to European knockout football, but a team that is so fragile defensively, conceding five goals and 54 shots at goal in three games, in addition to being so blunt offensively, scoring just a single goal since Lampard has returned, deserves little credit.

It is incredibly difficult to imagine a world in which a Real Madrid team that have won four of their last five matches – including a 4-0 El Classico victory – will relinquish a two-goal lead and fail to score even if they are playing away from home. If Chelsea are to be victorious, it will require their best performance of the season and Real Madrid’s worst.

Photo: twitter@Cellular_jnr

Post by

Dylan Johnson