After splashing the cash yet again this summer, Chelsea were expected to finally bounce back and establish themselves among the very best in the Premier League once more. Things haven’t quite gone to plan for the Blues so far, however.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side initially impressed on the opening day, coming from behind to rescue a point against Liverpool in a game that they arguably deserved all three points. Since then, results have only gone downhill.
First, they lost to London rivals West Ham United, signalling worry that those at Stamford Bridge were in for a repeat of last season. A 3-0 win over Luton Town handed the Blues some short-reprieve, but a 1-0 defeat at home against Nottingham Forest on Saturday exposed Chelsea’s problems for all to see.
It was Mykhailo Mudryk who shouldered plenty of criticism, too, particularly from Gabriel Agbonlahor.
What did Gabriel Agbonlahor say?
Impressing in pre-season, it looked as though Mudryk was finally finding his feet at Chelsea, only for his struggles to instantly resume as soon as the Premier League season got underway.
Given that the Ukraine international cost the Blues a reported £89m, fans would have been expecting more than the two-goal involvements he has made since arriving in January.
Taking to talkSPORT following the defeat, Agbonlahor hit out at Mudryk, saying:
“Mudryk came on, and he nearly gave away two goals. Honestly, he was absolutely useless. He’s had 19 games, zero goals.”
The former Aston Villa man also spoke about Chelsea’s spending, saying:
“What I don’t understand with Chelsea is today, 21 shots, guess how many on target. Two. So, they’re getting in the positions, they just haven’t got the quality. And, it seems to be a theme now, where you look on social media, it’s Chelsea sign players, but lose games. £1 billion spent.”
How has Mykhailo Mudryk performed this season?
After a campaign to forget last time out, Mudryk, like the rest of the Chelsea side, has the chance for a fresh start under Pochettino. But so far, the winger, and a fair few others in the current squad, have failed to take their opportunities.
Against Nottingham Forest, the 22-year-old came on from the bench with the Blues in desperate need of a late equaliser, before enduring a frustrating and ineffective 13 minutes, in which he made little, if any, impact.
In those 13 minutes, as per SofaScore, Mudryk touched the ball just 15 times, made four inaccurate crosses, lost the ball seven times, and lost every ground duel that he had. The fact is, instead of changing the game, Mudryk simply had a poor cameo.
Up next, Chelsea face off against Bournemouth, who will be looking for their first Premier League win under Andoni Iraola. If Pochettino’s side manage to hand the Cherries those much-needed three points, then worrying questions may already start to creep into the Argentine’s tenure, despite overseeing just a handful of games so far.
Meanwhile, Mudryk, on a personal note, will be hoping to use the trip to the Vitality Stadium to finally discover his best form for Chelsea, but after his display on Saturday, he may have to make do with a place on te bench once more.