Mario Melchiot claimed Chelsea struggled to break down Wolverhampton Wanderers because they were without Jorginho in midfield.
Speaking on Premier League Productions after the 0-0 draw at Molineux, the former Blues defender highlighted Jorginho’s absence as the reason for the visitor’s performance.
Jorginho the juice for Chelsea
The 30-year-old did not travel to the West Midlands yesterday because of an injury he’s been carrying for a while.
He has played through a back problem for some time, but clearly, the game against Everton in mid-week was a step too far for the midfielder.
His and Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s absence meant Chelsea lined up with Trevoh Chalobah, Hakim Ziyech and N’Golo Kante in central midfield.
Clearly, Chalobah does not have the same controlling style as his injured Italian teammate, which was evident during Sunday’s stalemate with Wolves.
“When you watch them (Chelsea) play, you are always looking for that creative spark. I felt like today, they were really struggling with that,” admitted Melchiot.
“Jorginho wasn’t there so Chalobah played there. That doesn’t mean Chalobah isn’t a good player, but creatively, you always look for a player who demands the ball really well, and that’s Jorginho.
“He dictates it. He puts people where he wants to put them. I don’t see Chalobah doing that.
“And that’s why it was very difficult for them (Chelsea) to open up.”
The Blues wounded by Wolves
Chelsea managed just one shot on target throughout the fixture, a sign of their ingenuity channels being damaged by the loss of Jorginho.
Thomas Tuchel’s team still had enough quality on show to harm their hosts, yet the £50m (BBC) signing from Napoli would’ve added another avenue to their attack.
Perhaps a better option would’ve been to use Reece James in midfield and Chalobah in defence, a change Tim Howard felt the Blues boss wrongly overlooked.
However, based on Chelsea’s recent form, Jorginho’s presence may not have made any difference at all.
Two wins from the last six league matches is not the return of a side challenging for the title.
Meanwhile, Manchester City have been demonstrating their full credentials by winning eight on the spin.
Before Liverpool took a point away from Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, they had been victorious in six straight domestic fixtures, including a 1-0 against Wolves.
Chelsea might look back at this month come May as the point the top-flight crown was handed back to City.
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