MONEY FOR NOTHING
THEY may have spent more than the French, German, Spanish and Italian leagues combined last month but Chelsea still can’t buy a goal.
Owners Todd Boelhy and Behdad Eghbali can flex the credit card and announce themselves as the new players in town.
But for all the promise of the Stamford Bridge midseason reboot, Fulham had more shots on target (four to one) and more touches in the opposition box.
Joao Felix, back from his suspension at West Ham next Tuesday, cannot return soon enough.
Refit
For all the criticism the Blues may get for this goalless draw, there isn’t a fan in the country who would tell their owners to put their money away instead of splashing out on a €335m, mid-season, January refit with their team languishing in mid-table.
And this was a good test for the new-look line-up.
Fulham 2023 are no slouches, sitting three places and two points above Chelsea in the table and hunting a European place.
Ben Chilwell is not yet ready to start while Felix, here on loan, is still watching from the stands after his debut red card.
by Darren LEWIS
(above)
But Boelhy will have been far happier with the promise shown here by the Class of ’23 than anything he’d seen from the older vintage during the first half of the season.
He’ll still be concerned by the Chelsea attack though. Kai Havertz missing two good first-half chances brought to mind the club’s confirmation, hours earlier, that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had been left out of the Blues’ Champions League squad.
In the first half Havertz struggled to reach a ball across the box from Mason Mount on the left. He later chipped Fulham keeper Berndt Leno in the box but saw his effort hit the post.
Fulham responded with rightback Kenny
Tete forcing a fine save from Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Considering the home side had splashed out €685m when you include the subtitles, it wasn’t supposed to be this tight.
But without a point man of any class Chelsea just couldn’t break the deadlock. Even when Raheem Sterling came on.
Block
Late on, sub Datro Fofana raced onto Conor Gallagher’s lofted ball, beat keeper Leno, sat defender Issa Diop down with a drop of the shoulder, but had his goal-bound shot blocked by a fantastic Tim Ream block.
It was that kind of night for the Potter’s side.
Aubameyang has been sacrificed from Chelsea’s Champions League squad for the knockout stages to make room for €120m signing Enzo Fernandez, who impressed on his Blues debut last night.
Aubameyang’s axing will cast fresh doubt over the striker’s future at Stamford Bridge.
The Gabon star has failed to impress since joining from Barcelona last summer and it looks increasingly likely that the 33-year-old will be on his way out.
Chelsea have also been forced to leave out €40m January signing Benoit Badiashile.
But Moroccan World Cup winger Hakim Ziyech, who saw a deadline day move to Paris St-Germain collapse, keeps his place.
After the influx of signings, new arrivals Mykhailo Mudryk and Felix join Fernandez in being added to Chelsea’s Euro squad ahead of the Champions League last-16 first leg tie withBorussiaDortmund on
February 15.
Leno ............................................... 6 Tete .................................................. 7 Diop ................................................. 7 Ream .............................................. 6 Robinson ......................................... 7 Reed ............................................... 6 Palhinha ............................ 6 De Cordova-Reid .............. 6 Pereira .............................. 6 Willian .............................................. 7 Mitrovic .......................................... 6
Solomon (De Cordova-Reid 75) ...... 7 Wilson (Willian 75) ............. 7 Carlos Vinicius (Mitrovic 90) Cairney (Reed 90)
Kurzawa (Pereira 90)