da blaze casino： The Blues have found the net just five times in four games this season, with echoes of the goal-scoring woes that plagued them throughout 2022-23
da dobrowin： There was an alarming sense of deja vu at Stamford Bridge during and after Chelsea's woeful home defeat to Nottingham Forest before the international break; confronted by an inferior opponent and dominating the ball, the Blues were bereft of creativity and blunt in attack. Their profligacy was encapsulated by an inexplicable and inexcusable miss by striker Nicolas Jackson, who ballooned the ball into row Z from all of four yards out with just seven minutes left on the clock.
Chelsea's struggles in front of goal became infamous throughout a nightmarish 2022-23 season. The campaign was characterised by agonising home losses to relatively weaker opposition, and failing to put the ball in the back of the net was as much to blame as a leaky defence.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino has a huge job on his hands to get the attacking formula right, with the pressure already mounting after two defeats in just four league games. GOAL assesses his options before domestic action resumes…
GettyTime for a change of shape
Pochettino has built his reputation on playing a fluid, attacking 4-2-3-1 formation throughout his managerial career to date, but since arriving at Chelsea he has discarded that shape in favour of a defensive 3-4-2-1.
Although this Chelsea squad will have grown accustomed to playing three at the back under the likes of Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter, it's a decision that has almost certainly been motivated by an untimely pre-season knee injury to new signing Christopher Nkunku, who would have been earmarked for the No.10 role behind the striker in a 4-2-3-1.
It's already evident that the west Londoners are sorely missing the Frenchman, who was a goal-contribution machine in his time with RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga, but the £42.5 million ($53m) capture of Cole Palmer from Manchester City represents a more-than adequate mitigation.
He looked sharp on his debut floating about between the lines, suggesting a change of shape to a 4-2-3-1 with him in the hole could help to unlock the Chelsea attack.
AdvertisementGettyLess caution in the midfield
A defensive set-up and a lack of creativity from the midfield has been a big part of the problem for the Blues, with Pochettino most recently opting to deploy Enzo Fernandez alongside £115m ($143m) signing Moises Caicedo and Conor Gallagher – none of whom are known for their attacking output.
Enzo has started the season in fine form, but he is perhaps better suited to the role of the midfield orchestrator in Pochettino's fluid system, ahead of a defensive midfielder like Caicedo and behind a would-be goal-scoring No.10 such as Palmer.
A change of personnel would lend itself to that new formation, with Gallagher – who has toiled during Chelsea's early-season struggles – dropping to the bench.
GettyOnus on the wingers
Chelsea rely heavily on their wide players to supply goals and assists, but only Raheem Sterling has looked anything close to his best since the start of the new campaign. Carney Chukwuemeka was getting better with every game, but a knee injury of his own has ruled him out of contention.
Pochettino will require and demand more, then, of both Noni Madueke and Mykhailo Mudryk – both of whom have made somewhat understated starts to the season. The former has been eased back in after a busy but successful summer with England at the Under-21 Euros, while Mudryk still looks bereft of confidence in competitive action despite an encouraging pre-season during which he finally registered his first goal.
The best course of action may be to launch them into the deep end and let them play their way into form. Chukwuemeka's injury has freed up space on the left-wing, and a formational tweak could be what it takes to get the best out of the pair of tricky wide men.
GettyArmando Broja's moment?
Another option for Pochettino is Chelsea's forgotten man: Armando Broja.
The young striker has returned to partial full training as he enters the final stages of his recovery from an ACL injury picked up during the World Cup break in late 2022, before which he was getting regular minutes under Tuchel and Potter.
Although he wasn't prolific in that brief period in and around the first-team, Broja should feel like a new signing when he eventually makes his comeback, and he provides much-needed depth and competition behind Jackson.
The academy product showed that he can cut it in the Premier League on loan at Southampton in 2021-22, and if he can build some confidence and momentum he could become a very useful weapon.
Speaking recently, Pochettino said of the striker: "He’s close but sometimes you are close but still the last step is always difficult after the injury that he suffered. He is training well, we have hope also."