If there was a moment to sum up Chelsea’s miserable defeat to Dinamo Zagreb, it came in the seventh minute of stoppage time, when substitute Hakim Ziyech and a bewildered Reece James stood squabbling over a free-kick.
Barely two minutes earlier, Ziyech, performing wretchedly after his half-time introduction, had sent a tame effort straight into the wall from almost exactly the same spot. And yet, with the game on the line, he was determined to have another go.
James’ plea to take it was ignored. Mason Mount’s too. And so Ziyech stepped up. Sure enough, he struck it straight into the wall again. Albert Einstein said insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Maybe he was talking about Chelsea.
Thomas Tuchel certainly felt a sense of deja-vu. “It’s the same story, like always,” he shrugged in his post-match interview.
Poor finishing and complacent defending were once again the themes. In fact, they are fast becoming Chelsea hallmarks.
Ziyech typified their bluntness at the top of the pitch. His introduction for Cesar Azpilicueta was intended to change the course of the game. Instead, it only added to Chelsea’s frustration
Long before the botched free-kicks, there were miscued crosses, wayward shots and plenty of other unfortunate moments. By the end, Ziyech had attempted four dribbles and completed none, losing possession 16 times and only winning it once.
In Ziyech’s defence, he was not alone in his struggles. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will not remember his debut fondly having spurned numerous scoring positions. Raheem Sterling was similarly wasteful. Mount offered little.
But it was Ziyech’s performance, and the second of those free-kicks thumped straight into the Dinamo wall, which best typified Chelsea’s night. A summer of extravagant spending, and yet the same old problems, only more pronounced.
