‘Chelsea can rely on Mendy but must score more goals’ – Chilwell admits Blues ‘need a bit more’ in final third

Chelsea can rely on Edouard Mendy at the back but must score more goals admits Ben Chilwell, who says the Blues “need a bit more” in the final third of the pitch.

Thomas Tuchel extended his unbeaten start to life in the Chelsea hot seat to 12 matches after a 0-0 draw away at Leeds United on Sunday, but the final result did little to help his team’s chances of Champions League qualification.

Chilwell is concerned that a lack of cutting edge going forward is holding the Blues back, but has nothing but admiration for Mendy who produced another standout performance between the sticks.

What has been said?

Asked to assess the Chelsea goalkeeper’s latest display, Chilwell told reporters post-match: “We know that when it comes down to it we can rely on Edou. Those one or two opportunities in a game when he has to concentrate and make a vital save, we know he is going to do that for us.”

The England international went on to insist that the Blues will need to combine their defensive solidity with a ruthless streak in front of goal in order to finish the season as strongly as possible.

“Coming into the game people would have predicted goals,” Chilwell added. “The way Leeds play is pretty free-flowing and they are a difficult team to play against. They switch positions a lot on the pitch and it was a tough game. It wasn’t the best pitch for both teams to play on but we created chances.

“Leeds had a few chances but I think if you look at the chances we had, they were probably the better. I had a few chances and I had one in the second half when I should have scored.

“We need a bit more from each other in the final third and that is something we are trying to add. Defensively as a team we are solid and we are not conceding but going forward, we are going to want to score more goals to get us the wins.”

How many goals have Chelsea scored under Tuchel?

Tuchel has recorded eight wins and four draws in his opening two months in charge, with Chelsea also getting 10 clean sheets on the board during that period.

However, the west London outfit have only scored 11 goals under the German to date, including six shared between midfield duo Mason Mount and Jorginho.

Summer signing Timo Werner and Tammy Abraham have only found the net once each, while veteran frontman Olivier Giroud has two to his name since Tuchel’s arrival.

The bigger picture

Chelsea have re-emerged as a  force thanks to the improvements that have been made at the back since Frank Lampard’s departure, with Mendy continuing to prove that he deserves the No 1 jersey ahead of club record signing Kepa.

Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger and Cesar Azpilicueta are also performing at a high level, but Chilwell’s warning must be heeded if the Blues are to take the next step forward.

Tuchel’s side are only three points clear of fifth-place West Ham in the race for the final Champions League spot having played two games more, with Everton and Tottenham also still in the hunt for a fourth-place finish.

Chelsea also still have aspirations of winning Europe’s elite competition and the FA Cup, and will need Werner and co to start delivering the goods up front to achieve their main goals come the end of the campaign.

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