Chelsea hope of finishing among the top-four clubs have encountered a huge setback as they were thrashed 4-0 by Bournemouth last night.
The Blues had a bright start to the game but they fizzled out as the game progresses, and they gave the Cherries attackers much space and chances to score goals.
Though the Blues performance was nothing to defend, there were some positives to picked out from the game.
Likewise, there were some unwanted situations during the encounter which must be corrected by Maurizio Sarri as soon as possible.
To this regard, we have listed three cogent lessons learnt from the encounter and here they are….
Emerson Palmieri deserve more game-time
The former AS Roma left-back started his first Premier League game of the season as Sarri chose to drop Marcos Alonso from his traveling squad.
Emerson joined the Blues last season during Conte’s reign but nailing down a permanent role in the Blues first-team has been hard to come by for the Italy international.
Emerson was one of Chelsea’s few shining light during the defeat to Bournemouth. He made untiring runs to help the team while attacking, not forgetting to carry out his duties as defender.
He was sharp throughout the first half and he looked more like an upgrade to out-of-form Marcos Alonso.
He should be getting regular game-time under Sarri so as to help him return to full fitness before the end of the season.
N’Golo Kante is not an attacking midfielder
Whether Sarri likes it or not, the Frenchman isn’t a playmaker and he can’t become one in a season.
The former Leicester City midfielder was a superb option during his time playing as a defensive midfielder under Antonio Conte but Sarri believes he should be playing in a more advanced role.
Kante saw a glorious chance to level the scoreline in the 66th minute but he couldn’t control the ball which eventually rolled out of his reach.
With the player’s anonymous performances all this season, it is evident that Kante isn’t born to play in an attacking midfield position.
Gonzalo Higuain is not the messiah
Chelsea fans were expecting a great display from the debutant but they were disappointed by the former Juventus star.
Higuain failed to score, neither did he assist any goal which mean the Blues should continue their search for the Messiah.
As much as it’s too early to criticize the Argentine forward, his performance throughout the encounter was a confirmation that there are limit to what he can achieve with the Blues this season