Chelsea's goalscoring problems explored on the latest Pitch to Post Preview Podcast. Watch Chelsea vs Fulham live on Sky Sports from 5pm; kick-off 5.30pm.
Friday 30 April 2021 15:10, UK
Chelsea are on an incredible run under Thomas Tuchel. Since the German took charge, they've lost just two of their last 22 games, moved into the top four in the Premier League, reached the FA Cup final, and take an away goal into the second leg of their Champions League semi-final with Real Madrid, with the score at 1-1.
However, Tuchel has made it clear there is one area where he wants to see more from his team: scoring goals.
Chelsea's mean defence has kept 16 clean sheets during his reign but at the other end there have been just 18 goals in 14 Premier League matches and Tuchel told Sky Sports last week, during an exclusive interview, he expected more of his front players.
"We don't struggle to have touches in the opponent's box, we do not struggle to produce Expected Goals but we need to improve on the conversion, this is clear," he said.
Timo Werner scored against West Ham last weekend to move level with Jorginho, Mason Mount, and Tammy Abraham among Chelsea's joint-top scorers in the Premier League with six goals but his glaring miss in that match, and a similarly wasteful close-range finish against Real Madrid has underlined his personal poor return.
But it isn't just him struggling up front for Chelsea. On this week's Pitch to Post Preview Podcast, Sky Sports features writer Nick Wright joined Peter Smith to discuss the Blues' struggles in front of goal and what can be done to address them...
Listen to the Sky Sports Pitch to Post Podcast on: Spotify | Apple | Castbox
"It's not good enough at all and I probably think there will be big changes to that forward line.
"Tuchel clearly doesn't fancy Tammy Abraham, who hasn't really featured at all since the German coach has come in.
"Olivier Giroud is nearing the end of his time at the club as well; you'd think with his contract up this summer.
"Timo Werner is a curious one. His finishing has obviously been really poor and he's underperforming on his Expected Goals by a long way, which is strange because that was never really the case at RB Leipzig. He always overperformed on his Expected Goals there, in other words he scored more goals than he was predicted based on the quality of his chances.
"They signed him because they thought he was a clinical finisher but this isn't what they are seeing at the moment, which is frustrating.
"It's a bit of a conundrum for Tuchel because at the same time, Werner does give them a lot in that forward position with his speed and his intensity.
"I was at Wembley for the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City and I spent a few minutes just watching him off the ball and he's amazing to watch because he's just so energetic. He's always moving, making great runs all the time, looking for the ball and looking to cause defenders problems.
"The issue is just the finishing.
"We saw in that City game that one of his runs came off when he got in behind to set up Hakim Ziyech's goal, but he's just not putting the ball in the back of the net himself enough and that is ultimately what he's going to be judged by.
"That's why Tuchel is so frustrated."
"We can't just blame Werner for Chelsea's scoring troubles because he's actually setting up a lot of goals himself. He's often being useful to the team but there is a collective lack of cutting edge at Chelsea.
"It was obviously the same for Frank Lampard. There were so many press conferences where he bemoaned his side failing to kill games off and failing to take chances. It's clearly a big problem for them despite all the investment they've made in the attacking areas of the pitch over the last year.
"So, expect more investment this summer. I think it's got to be the priority [to go and get a striker].
"They've made so much progress under Tuchel. The team is so well organised and efficient in so many other ways, but they are just lacking that presence up front.
"If funds are available, I'm sure a striker will be a priority.
"Tuchel is talking about it quite candidly so he's well aware of the need for improvement there and as we know, Abraham is looking like he could leave Stamford Bridge and with Giroud also looking like he will go, there's going to be a vacancy there for at least one player to come in."
"Tactically, they've been excellent since Tuchel came in.
"The back three is working really well for them in terms of their solidity. They have good defenders who can build the play up effectively, good variety in midfield and a lot of potency in the wide positions.
"I think a lot of it comes back to Tuchel, though. His arrival is what's elevated them this season. That's what has changed.
"Frank Lampard did a lot of good work there, especially with the young players, but he never had the experience of Tuchel and probably not the same level of tactical expertise either. So, I think they've really benefited from his arrival.
"The way he sets them up in these big games is really impressive and their defensive record is incredible really. The number of clean sheets they've got is almost unheard of in the Premier League.
"You probably have to go back to Jose Mourinho's first spell at Chelsea to see those kind of numbers, so he deserves massive credit. He just needs slightly more in that attacking area to take them up another level."
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher joins Peter Smith to look ahead to Manchester United's Super Sunday clash with Liverpool. He assesses United's big Europa League semi-final win over Roma and where Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side need to strengthen if they are to be Premier League challengers next season. Plus, he gives his verdict on Liverpool's top four hopes - and how they can come out on top in their must-win trip to Old Trafford.
Sky Sports features writer Nick Wright is also on the show, discussing Chelsea's misfiring strikers ahead of their clash with Fulham, and also offering his insight on Arsenal's Europa League semi-final defeat to Villarreal, what needs to change before next week's second leg, and the wider ownership debate which has led to fan protests. He also shares his Pitch for what he thinks will happen in the Premier League this weekend!
Listen to the Sky Sports Pitch to Post Podcast on: Spotify | Apple | Castbox
