The Blues entered the match coming off a 1-0 Premier League loss to Arsenal the previous weekend, and it's safe to say that the former Brighton and Hove Albion manager would have hoped his players could put their league form behind them when they faced Pep Guardiola's squad yesterday night.
Chelsea had less possession (45%), fewer shots on goal (9 v 5) and less accurate passing (90% v 86%), making it difficult for them to control any aspect of the game.
The first half was mostly boring, and although the score was still 0-0 at the break, both teams had three shots that were on goal. However, it didn't take long for Man City to go ahead and win the match.
In the 53rd minute, Riyad Mahrez finally broke the stalemate, scoring the opener for the hosts, with Julian Alvarez doubling the score line just five minutes later.
The poor attacking performance was a complete reflection of the story of Chelsea’s season so far with the team yet again losing out due to the failure to take the chances handed to them in front of goal, and there was one player in particular who delivered an anonymous display.
Armando Broja was given the golden opportunity to start on Wednesday evening and over his 68-minute performance proved why he is not being given more game time.
The Albanian striker – who Jake Heasman dubbed “invisible” due to his teammates’ failure to pick him out in the final third – completed just five passes and had only 20 touches of the ball, which was even lower than that of goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, who had 60 touches on the night.
For a player who is usually such a physical presence, it was disappointing to see that he failed to win a single aerial duel during the contest.
That said, he was hardly helped by his teammates with a distinct lack of service being summed up by the fact that Broja had no shots on target.
That is an excusable part of his night but what isn’t, however, is his inability to keep hold of the ball, ceding possession every 3.3 touches.
Potter needs to quickly identify the problems in front of goal that Chelsea are experiencing right now, as with no victories in their last four Premier League games they are losing out on the opportunity to make swift progress.
With that being said, it would be expected that the new Chelsea boss will be backed in January to add depth and a natural finisher in the forward line as it is becoming a huge issue for the club in the pursuit of their goals for the season.
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