When the full-time whistle blew at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon, there was a sense of relief at Chelsea.
They were able to claim a 2-1 victory against Leicester City, despite spending most of the match with ten men following Conor Gallagher’s sending off.
Raheem Sterling also netted his first goals for the club since his arrival from Manchester City earlier in the summer.
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It was an improved performance from their previous game, in which they lost 3–0 on the road to Leeds United.
However, Thomas Tuchel’s side failed to repeat their weekend success when they made the trip down south to face Southampton on Tuesday night.
Despite Sterling scoring his third goal in two games to give Chelsea the opener, the Saints turned it around and scored twice before half-time to take the lead.
In the second half, there was little to no response from the Blues in terms of finding an equaliser.
Changes were made but the outcome was the same, and soon the west London side fell to their second defeat of the season after just five games.
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After the match, Tuchel refused to use the events of the last six months as an excuse for his side’s performance.
"Maybe, maybe,” said the German.
“But the line is so thin between excuses and explanations, so I better not go down this road because I don't want to give any chance for anybody – myself, staff players – any room for excuses.
"We need to find solutions. What will help is the closing of the transfer window.
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"We will know then who has the full commitment, what we demand, what role everybody needs to play and fulfil.
"And then everybody, including myself, needs to step up to a new level of performance because these are ok performances, not a disaster, but they are ok and ok can never be enough for us."
Southampton were the better side in the opening stages of the game, but Chelsea soon found their way into the match.
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The goal was somewhat deserved given the emergence of the Blues’ attacking threat, with Sterling clearly now showing confidence in front of goal.
However from that point on, they never looked like scoring again.
For many seasons, Chelsea have struggled with the ability to kill games off, and it is now getting to a point where fans are having the same conversation every week.
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The Blues had four shots on target from a possible ten against the Saints and with all the quality they have in their possession going forward, this should be better.
Southampton could very easily have scored more, but Thiago Silva and Marc Cucurella were both on hand to make crucial last ditch blocks.
As the clock ticked down towards full-time, Chelsea never looked like scoring and they were eventually defeated.
Tuchel needs to find a way in which the players are able to take their chances and seal the win as soon as possible.
Scoring first should have given them momentum to go on and extend their lead, but this has been a rare occurrence for the side over the last few campaigns.
Just a quick look at their rivals will prove what needs to be done; Liverpool scored early against Bournemouth and proceeded to win 9-0, whilst City came from two down to win 4-2.
If trophies are to be won this season then Chelsea must find some sort of winning mentality, otherwise they could have nothing to show for their efforts come June next year.
Topics: Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel, Southampton, Premier League
Robert Calcutt