Chelsea may have gotten their Premier League campaign back on track last weekend with a 2-0 win over Hull City. However, there’s no denying that their recent form has already put a dent in their title aspirations.
A draw against Swansea City followed by consecutive defeats at the hands of Liverpool and Arsenal means that Antonio Conte’s side finds themselves five points and six places off the top of the table.
Part of the problem at Stamford Bridge this season has been at the back and now one worrying stat has emerged that lays part of the blame for their defensive frailties firmly at the feet of one of their veteran players.
With the international break meaning no Premier League action this weekend, the people over at Squawka have been crunching some numbers with regards to the first portion of the season.
And, in highlighting the 15 players who have made mistakes that have led directly to the opposition scoring so far this year, the name of Gary Cahill stands out above all others.
That’s because, of the hundreds of players to have appeared in the Premier League this season, the England centre-back is the only one who has directly contributed to his side conceding on more than one occasion.
Unlike the other 14 players on the list, mistakes from Cahill have led to two goals against his team.
The mistakes in question?
The first came against Swansea and, in fairness to Cahill, did look to be the result of a foul by the Welsh side’s Leroy Fer who dispossessed the England defender before rushing through on goal.
The second, though, showed that Cahill hadn’t learned from dallying on the ball when faced with little protection between himself and Thibaut Courtois in the Chelsea goal.
Arsenal fans won’t need reminding, but it came against the Gunners and provided Alexis Sanchez with an opportunity to score that he finished off in style.
If his position at the top of this rather embarrassing list wasn’t enough, it is only made worse by the fact that, of the 15 players culpable, five of them are goalkeepers.
That means Cahill owns a disproportionate;y high 20% share of the mistakes made by outfield players that have cost their side a goal.
That’s not great in anyone’s book.
The full list of names is as follows:
– Gary Cahill (Two goals caused)
– David De Gea (1)
– Michail Antonio (1)
– Lucas Leiva (1)
– Brad Guzan (1)
– Cheikhou Kouyate (1)
– Joe Ledley (1)
– James Collins (1)
– Simon Francis (1)
– Jordan Pickford (1)
– Claudio Bravo (1)
– Kasper Schmeichel (1)
– Nathaniel Clyne (1)
– Papy Djilobodji (1)
– George Friend (1)