‘Not there’: BBC pundit says three Chelsea players were pretty much non-existent vs Brighton

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Karen Carney noted a trio of Chelsea players who ghosted throughout the game against Brighton & Hove Albion last night.

Speaking for the BBC after the 1-1 draw at the AMEX yesterday, Carney critiqued Mason Mount, Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner’s involvement in the match.

Attack going backwards

None of Thomas Tuchel’s offensive assets laid claim to start the next Premier League fixture, a London derby at home against Tottenham Hotspur.

Chelsea began the evening with Lukaku and Callum Hudson-Odoi as a front two, with Mount and Hakim Ziyech occupying the number ten roles.

All four of the forwards failed to break Brighton down, whilst simultaneously struggling to connect with one other.

Lukaku and Hudson-Odoi looked almost frightened to play together; Ziyech and Mount were equally as hesitant to feed the Belgian striker.

Chelsea cut adriff

This total lack of cohesion clouded the entire Chelsea team.

Aside from Ziyech’s first-half strike, the Champions League holders had virtually nothing to sing about once the final whistle had been blown.

Even after they scored, their celebrations were muted, muzzled by their awareness of being outclassed by Brighton, who earned their equaliser on the hour mark.

“There was something not quite right. The energy is not quite right,” remarked Carney on the bruised Blues.

“Thomas Tuchel is trying to shout tactics and I think they can hear it but can’t do it right now for whatever reason and then he is frustrated, and then for about 25 minutes he just sat down.

“It is like he kind of gave up giving the information because he couldn’t deliver to them.

“We didn’t see enough of Mason Mount, we hardly mentioned Romelu Lukaku, then Timo Werner came on – a player severely lacking in confidence. The whole front line of Chelsea is not there”

Change needed for Chelsea

Werner may as well have remained on the bench, such was the German’s minimal impact.

The 25-year-old’s fellow countryman, Kai Havertz, could do very little with his ten-minute cameo.

For one reason or another, nobody looks quite right in Tuchel’s camp.

Chelsea seriously need to refresh and restart ahead of the capital city clash.

Otherwise, Tottenham will take them to town and that is the very last thing fans need right now.

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