Edouard Mendy had a day to forget in goal for Chelsea as an uncharacteristic mistake gifted Leeds a goal as the Blues suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat. Thomas Tuchel was frustrated by the mistake that put the Blues on the back foot.
Chelsea were humiliated when they took on Leeds United on Sunday afternoon. The loss is another setback for the Blues looking to challenge for the league this season.
Football has changed over the years with several roles redefined, but with it has come its attendant issues. New age managers have strange appellatives like a ball-playing defender and a ball-playing goalkeeper. The redefinition of the roles has seen some catastrophic results.
Starting attacks from the back has claimed another casualty as Chelsea lost to Leeds United this weekend and dropped further down the table.
Mendy error costs Chelsea at Elland Road
Once upon a time, goalkeepers under pressure were supposed to boot the ball upfield, but the architects of modern football expect goalminders to initiate attack from their positions. The inability of goalkeepers to play like this has cost some of them dearly.
On Sunday, Thomas Tuchel was frustrated as Edouard Mendy was a victim of playing from the back, which led to a goal that could have been avoided. Chelsea lost the game 3-0, but the initial error left Tuchel a frustrated man.
Mendy tried to dribble Brenden Aaronson to start an attack but saw the striker steal the ball from him on the edge of the six-yard box and poke it into an empty net. The 33rd-minute goal destabilized the Blues, and they failed to recover from the first-half shock. Rodrigo and Jack Harrison compounded their woes with two more goals to give Leeds United all three points.
Things went from bad to worse as Kalidou Koulibaly was given his marching orders after receiving his second yellow card. The red card completed an afternoon to forget for Chelsea.
A frustrated Tuchel
The last thing Thomas tuchel expected was to drop more points after the debacle with Tottenham last week. The Blues saw Spurs score a late goal to get a share of the spoils on another frustrating afternoon for Chelsea.
Speaking on the Mendy incident, Tuchel could not hide his frustration. The German tactician said there was no need to talk about the incident as it was glaring. He said Mendy knows himself, and it was a mistake that has nothing to do with protection or no protection.
Tuchel acknowledged that people make mistakes, but it was a costly one by Mendy at a crucial time of the match. The German also opined that it gave them a mountain to climb and that his goalkeeper was the most disappointed as his mistake cost the team all three points.
In defending Mendy, former goalkeeper Shay Given told Sky Sports that the defenders had a share of the blame as they did not run into positions to receive the ball from the goalkeeper. Despite the poor defensive shape of the defenders, Shay Given agrees it was a terrible mistake.
Meanwhile, Chelsea are still on the tail of Wesley Fofana and play Leicester City in their next Premier League game on Saturday. The Blues have four points from three Premier League matches.
