De Bruyne scored in the world and City won 1-0 at home to Chelsea, temporarily extending the lead to 13 points. Judging from the actual content of the game, De Bruyne's strong performance is admirable, And Kepa's state is gratifying, but the discussion is more likely to be Lukaku's downturn. The "interview gate" has just subsided, and he especially needs to prove himself with goals in key battles, and the result? He was at the Etihad Stadium last night and completely screwed up.
And, in an almost comical way.
why? In the 90 minutes, he only completed 7 successful passes (58% success rate), conceded 1 excellent scoring opportunity, and lost 7 high-altitude battles. Considering that he only touched the ball 21 times, as many as 10 times conceded the ball is "jaw-dropping". That's not all, he completed an incredible pass in an effective attack at the opening.
Do Chelsea, who play away, have a chance? Yes! Even though City showed aggression at home, Tuchel's side was able to pass the ball to the opponent's defensive zone three.
In the 10th minute of the first half, Laporta, who had been in a slump recently, slipped and made a mistake, and Lukaku, who carried the ball to the front of the box, could choose to shoot, or split the ball to his teammate on the left to complete the open shot. But what is Lukaku's choice? Pass to the right to find Ziyeh in an offside position. Ziyech apparently did not expect That lukaku's choice to be like this, failing to get the ball when he was ill-prepared.
In the 47th minute of the second half, Chelsea was again high and Lukaku was given the opportunity to face Ederson directly. But his shot was directly saved by the opponent. Losing such a great opportunity shouldn't be.
In the face of Manchester City's high pressing, Chelsea's midfield will certainly send more long-distance passes under pressure. An important role for Lukaku is to engage in high-altitude confrontations and create opportunities for his teammates. The result? He lost all seven high-altitude confrontations, and even had embarrassing shots of being pressed by full-back Cancelo.
Costing Chelsea more than £100 million, Lukaku carried the hope of reinforcement of the team's forward line. Since his debut blew up Arsenal's temporary defence, his performance has become increasingly struggling. Behind the back of the team and agent to create an "interview door" farce, now he has no choice but to win back the hearts of the team and fans with goals and performances. Unless, of course, he does leave Chelsea. But the question arises, which team is willing to give him an offer that satisfies the Chelsea management?