Concerning Chelsea statistic lays bare Liam Rosenior's biggest issue | OneFootball

Blues are being left behind by every other team in the Premier League

In the midst of Chelsea’s worst run of form since 1998, an astonishing statistic lays bare the sobering reality of players’ substandard work rate.

Chelsea head to the south coast to face Brighton this evening on the back of six defeats from their last seven games, and without a Premier League goal since March 4.

Their proclivity for failing to find the net is incredible, but not as remarkable as being outrun in every single Premier League game this season. In all 33 matches in the top flight, they have been second-best for total distance covered — something that should deeply concern their 10-strong analyst department.

Chelsea have been playing almost non-stop football since August 2024, more matches than anyone else on the continent in that time, and had a two-week pre-season due to their exhausting 51-week campaign last term, which only drew to a close at the Club World Cup final on July 13. The players have barely had a rest and are shattered.

Liam Rosenior needs to get his players moving

PA

That may be a valid excuse if the stat had emerged in October. It is not defensible in late April. Three months is a worry, 33 straight matches is a concerning pattern of behaviour.

Some onlookers have played down the numbers, insisting that as Chelsea often dominate possession, players are not chasing the ball and racking up the kilometres. But that doesn't wash. Manchester City had 65 per cent of possession in their 3-0 win at Stamford Bridge a fortnight ago and still managed a greater aggregate distance covered.

Neither can it reasonably be claimed that there is no correlation between work-rate and victory. Tom Allen, Arsenal’s head of sports science and performance, recently conducted research which showed how a higher sprint rate and greater off-the-ball running both correlate with earning more points. It is a basic requirement in which Chelsea are falling short.

Some individuals are absolved of blame here. Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, in particular, almost always leave it all out on the pitch. At times, it can feel as though both are doing other players’ running for them.

With players speaking out against the project, form spiralling downwards, and the head coach under pressure from supporters, Chelsea's corner of west London is far from a happy place right now. The club is in last-chance saloon territory regarding their now-faint hopes of Champions League qualification, with tonight’s clash at the Amex simply a must-win.

“Always up the Chels, but it’s nigh on impossible to be optimistic on this manager, sporting directors and ownership,” one fan wrote on social media on Tuesday. “Everything the club stood for, they’ve ripped away.”

Pessimism is understandable and justified, but there has also been some pretty poor fortune. Chelsea hit the woodwork three times — one was flagged offside — in their defeat to Manchester United, and their 21 shots in the game were their second-most in the league this season, encouraging considering it came against a team stationed above them in the table and in far better form.

Chelsea continue to create chances. In their four-game barren spell in the league, their 67 shots are more than any other Premier League team has tallied over the same period. Taking those chances is a huge issue for Chelsea right now, but not their greatest. That is reserved for being outrun — in 33 of 33 league games.