Chelsea players told why they dropped points by Qarabag manager following Champions League clash

Add as preferred source on Google

Qarabag manager Gurban Gurbanov has been speaking about Chelsea following their 2-2 draw with his side.

Gurbanov’s men were actually close to beating Chelsea, only for Alejandro Garnacho to come off the bench and rescue a point for the Blues.

Estevao scored Chelsea’s other goal and made history in the Champions League as a result.

It was not enough for the Club World Cup holders to win, though, and Gurbanov thinks he knows why Qarabag were able to spoil the party for them.

• READ MORE: Five things learned from Chelsea vs Qarabag as one Enzo Maresca decision becomes painfully obvious

Gurban Gurbanov thinks Chelsea underestimated Qarabag

From Gurbanov’s point of view, Chelsea perhaps did not give Qarabag the respect that they deserved.

The 53-year-old thinks Enzo Maresca’s side were not expecting his team to attack, which is exactly what they did do throughout the 90 minutes.

Speaking in his post-match press conference, Gurbanov said: “Maybe Chelsea players were inattentive and didn’t expect us to attack.”

Chelsea’s defenders will now be wishing that Qarabag did not attack, especially Jorrel Hato.

Hato had a torrid match, giving away a penalty in the first half. If the Dutchman wants to make more starts, he is going to have to up his game. Hato has only made six starts for Chelsea since arriving from Ajax over the summer.

Qarabag vs Chelsea match statistics

The numbers from Chelsea’s game with Qarabag show that the home side really did give it a go.

As you would expect, last season’s Conference League winners had more possession. However, Qarabag’s xG was actually higher; they should have scored more goals than their opponents.

They also created three big chances, whereas Chelsea did not record one. Maresca should feel extremely disappointed with that performance.

Things do not get any easier for Chelsea either. Their next game in the Champions League is against Barcelona.

Fortunately for them, Cole Palmer could be back by then. If they can get him into their side for that fixture and defend a bit better, a win is certainly possible.