With just seven games played so far this season in all competitions, it is clear to see that Chelsea are struggling.
Premier League form has been far from easy to come by since the beginning of the campaign for the Blues, with just three wins from a possible six and one clean sheet to show for their efforts.
Kai Havertz’s goal along with the late VAR drama at Stamford Bridge against West Ham could have been a turning point for Thomas Tuchel’s side but just three days later, it was soon apparent that this would not be the case.
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Chelsea made the trip to face Dinamo Zagreb in their opening Champions League match of the season.
They are competing in Group E of the tournament, hoping to finish in the top two in order to advance to the knockout stages.
Five things we learned during Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League
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Zagreb were randomly selected from Pot 4 during the draw at the end of August, with the Blues entering the tie as favourites given their Pot 2 status.
However, a game that looked simple on paper was made a lot harder on the pitch, and much of that is down to Chelsea’s own efforts.
The 29-year-old was able to race through on goal and beat Wesley Fofana for pace after early Chelsea pressure, and slot the ball past Kepa Arrizabalaga for the only goal of the game.
What would follow would prove to be the repetition of a common occurrence from the Blues.
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Heads would drop and confidence would disappear.
Throughout the opening stages of the match, Tuchel’s side looked somewhat impressive going forward.
They lined up with a new front three, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang making his debut for the club as he led the attack alongside Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz.
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Early play from the trio was encouraging to see, although crosses into the box were not met by players from the west London side.
A dominance in possession and promising signals in the attack probably led many Chelsea fans to believe they would score the opener soon.
However, Zagreb would soon be the ones to do just that.
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Over the past few seasons, the Blues have struggled to fight back when going a goal down.
This has been particularly noticeable in recent months, and it is something that ensures they cannot currently be considered as one of the top teams in the world.
There is a lack of winning mentality within the side, which now means that a result could be very quickly decided should they concede first, or at least be losing at some point in the match.
Following Orsic’s goal, Chelsea were clearly struggling for ideas.
In his post-match press conference, Tuchel revealed his belief that a lot of his players are not yet performing at the top of their games, with the lack of cohesion being displayed against their European opponents.
“Not a lot at the moment. It’s for me to find the solution and find the reason why,” said the German.
“Obviously they are underperforming individually and I don't really know where this performance today comes from.
“A lack of determination, a lack of hunger and a lack of intensity to actually do the things that we need at the highest level. We are clearly not where we want to be.”
Overhit passes and questionable defending would soon be on show from Chelsea, with Zagreb possibly feeling as though they should have scored a second before half-time.
After the break, a change was made as Hakim Ziyech came on to replace Cesar Azpilicueta.
Such a substitution called for an alteration to their system, with Chelsea then appearing to play a back four.
However, this did not appear to help them in any way.
The Blues soon completed all five of their available substitutions for the night and as the game went on, an equaliser was far from their reach.
If it wasn’t for Kepa’s heroics in the second half Zagreb would have had a second, with the Spaniard tipping Stefan Ristovski’s shot onto the bar in spectacular fashion.
In the final ten minutes, a flurry of chances would soon fall Chelsea’s way, but this time it was the Zagreb ‘keeper who would impress, keeping the Londoners at bay at such a crucial stage.
Eight minutes added time at the end of the match would not be utilised either, and it was very quickly apparent that defeat would arrive.
Full-time soon came and Tuchel’s side fell to their third consecutive away defeat in all competitions.
The performance encapsulated everything that Chelsea have been struggling to deal with in recent weeks and despite the manager’s efforts to find solutions, improvements have not yet been shown.
With FC Salzburg and AC Milan drawing in the other game in Group E, and with it being the opening matchday of the Champions League, it is not yet all doom and gloom on the continental front.
However, with the club set to compete in such a hectic schedule ahead of the World Cup later this year, time is running out for them to eradicate their mistakes.
Summer signings are still settling in and the feel around the club amid fresh ownership could still be lingering, but for Chelsea to compete on the pitch and have any chance of silverware, Tuchel and his players need to fix up as soon as possible, otherwise it could be a long season ahead.
Topics: Chelsea, Champions League, Thomas Tuchel
Robert Calcutt