chelsea received thought-provoking Premier League defeated by ipswich town They are out of 2024. It’s frustrating that the Blues fade away over Christmas, but Enzo Maresca Optimism is restored in west London.

Midway through the season, Chelsea are fourth, three points ahead of an in-form side Newcastle Unitedbut Maresca has no doubt that further improvements are urgently needed to avoid stagnation and promote progress.

prohibit Joao FelixChelsea did not fight back after an equalizer was ruled out in the first half, and the newly promoted Tractor Boys achieved their first home victory in the Premier League since 2002.

Chelsea still have a lot to build on, but the foundations for a future title challenge are already there. Still, with Liverpool ten points ahead and a game remaining, a sustained charge for the title may be out of reach.

improve yes Multiple spaces on the pitch need to be defended, but defense must be one of the first priorities – especially during a game Axel Disasi Continue to flatter and deceive.

Axel Disasi Disaster

Disasi was selected as Chelsea’s right-back at Portman Road but failed to justify Maresca’s selection, his faulty and completely unconvincing performance marring everything else.

According to SofascoreThe French defender lost 75 per cent of his duels, dribbling twice and did make a costly mistake allowing Cobham academy graduate Omari Hutchinson to pass His former club are on a losing streak in the Premier League.

Maresca was not blameless: instead of a natural right-back, the Italian tactician opted for Disasi in a makeshift role. To be fair, Disasi Played there 19 times Since signing for Chelsea in 2023, you can’t help but feel that Marlo Gusteau would be the better option.

In a sense, he was left out to dry, with Chelsea’s forward players performing underwhelmingly. Aside from Cole Palmer’s efforts, there’s nothing to write home about. Christopher Nkunku The performance from No. 9 was poor – perhaps as bad as Disasi’s performance at the other end.

Christopher Nkunku’s performance against Ipswich Town

Nkunku’s time at Chelsea must have been frustrating so far. The France international has been injured for much of the 2023/24 season, his maiden campaign, 14 appearances in all competitions and scored three goals.

This season, he Scored 12 goals in 27 appearances In all competitions but only twice in England’s top flight, just three starting berths were handed to him.

There are good reasons to believe that he still hasn’t shown his best position in a Chelsea shirt and, despite possessing technical ability and silkiness, may lack the physicality and confidence required of a Premier League centre-forward.

This was proven at Ipswich and his opponents proved it too, Liam Delaphe contributed a goal and an assist, bringing the team a long and wonderful performance. Curiously, Chelsea are scouring the market for a new striker to complement Nicholas Jacksonand that one Delap on the shortlist.

Nkunku may have had more possession than his opponents, created two key passes and remained crisp in possession, but he could hardly be said to have displayed the ruthlessness inherent in a first-class striker.

Actually, Malik Uzzia, The Standard The 27-year-old could only be given a match rating of 4/10, criticizing his quiet and “ineffective” performance. The 27-year-old failed to convert a free-kick from Palmer at the start.

It’s a pity that he has yet to hit his stride and he lacks positional security, which is similar to the former Blues striker Kai Havertz – Could he be a new version of the German?

Kai Havertz is the latest

Havertz scores Champions League– Chelsea’s winning goal, a bit of validation He moved from Bayer Leverkusen for £71m Although only Scored 32 goals in 139 games Total.

So talented, so smart, there is a real player in the Germany international, he have He has been a valuable asset for Arsenal since the start of last season but Chelsea have struggled to recover from his multi-positional performances and you could make an argument for Mikel Arteta to address the same issue .

Havertz didn’t score enough to prove himself worthy of ninth place at Stamford Bridge, and the same goes for Nkunku.

There’s no doubt that the France Dynamo is a fantastic player who can do great things with the ball, but it’s clear Chelsea need to sign an out-and-out striker in 2025 and given Jackson’s Should be given a regular role on the pitch, Nkunku’s role may be reduced to a nominal one.

According to FBrefOver the past year, Nkunku ranked in the top 14% of forwards in Europe’s top five leagues in terms of shot chances created, in the top 15% in progressive passes, in the top 1% in pass completions, and in the top 1% for pass completions per 90 Ranked in the top 14% in steals. Indeed, he has the ability to have a significant impact on Chelsea’s season.

But whether that will happen is another matter entirely. Perhaps Maresca will feel that Nkunku does not have a permanent place in the starting lineup to give him enough confidence, considering that his attacking midfield lineup is composed of Palmer, Felix and others. or status to establish himself as a superstar. British football.

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Perhaps, like Havertz, the former PSG man may need to move elsewhere to finally regain his footing.

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