The three match unbeaten run Chelsea had before last weekend has turned out into yet another false dawn after the club slipped to a 1-0 defeat at home to newly promoted Bournemouth. The Blues did look better than the scoreline suggested and could have easily won the game on any other day. However, this match again exposed the number of poor performers within the team. Jose Mourinho has to avoid playing these players in the Champions League home clash against Porto if the Blues are to qualify for the knockout stages.
1Pedro
Signed from Barcelona with high hopes, Pedro is fast becoming one of the mediocre names in the line-up. One of the biggest advantages of having Pedro in the team is the defence of solidarity that he gives over Eden Hazard. However, his decision-making and concentration have left a lot to be desired. Barcelona are an extremely competitive team, but they did not seem to rate Pedro highly; a fact demonstrated by the club being happy with a £21 million transfer fee.
Pedro has not scored or assisted a goal since opening the account on his debut against West Brom despite playing 10 matches since then.
2Oscar
Jose Mourinho sold Juan Mata preferring the Brazilian playmaker over him. However, Oscar has started to show that inconsistency is one of the problems of a young player. The 22-year-old has been in and out of the team this season, making only nine appearances in the league and scoring just once in the process. He was largely anonymous against Bournemouth and found himself being substituted for Diego Costa at half-time.
3Cesc Fabregas
The Spaniard was going through his best spell in English football at this time last season. Fabregas looked on course to breaking the assist record set by Thierry Henry several years ago. This season has been a complete contrast to the 28-year-old creating just two assists in the league so far while failing to open his own account. Fabregas continues to look good on the ball, but there is little that he is doing apart from short passes.
4Diego Costa
Jose Mourinho has surprisingly dropped the star striker from the starting line-up in the last two matches. He may very well return for the game against Porto, but his confidence is unlikely to be any better after drawing another blank against Bournemouth. The striker’s only goal in the last 10 matches was against Norwich.
5Radamel Falcao
The Falcao experiment has not worked once again, and it is equally starved Loic Remy of any real first-team opportunity. The Frenchman has delivered goals when needed, but he appears very far away from even showing his worth.
Jose Mourinho has also had to fend off questions about a potential sack should he fail to win the next two matches. He said:
“Because I think I did lots of good things for this club. I don’t think the owner is a person to change with the wind.
“Abramovich believed in me twice: one, when he brought me back to the club, and the second time when he gave me a new four-year contract in the summer.”
