Trevoh Chalobah had a memorable evening as Chelsea lost to Bayern Munich 3-1 on the road in their UEFA Champions League comeback. In addition to struggling against an in-form Harry Kane and scoring an own goal, the English defender has raised questions among his club’s supporters.
After a terrible night at the Allianz Arena, Maresca may now be wondering if he was right to want to break up with the Englishman. In Munich, the 26-year-old and Tosin Adarabioyo, his centre-back partner, both performed poorly.
Chalobah and Chelsea Have a Bad Night in Munich
Before Kane scored from 12 yards out (27′), Chalobah clumsily turned Michael Olise’s low driven cross into his own net to give Bayern the lead (20′). To Maresca’s ire, Moises Caicedo took down the English striker in the box, and he was awarded a controversial spot-kick.
Cole Palmer gave Chelsea the lead right away with a superb strike in the top corner (29′), but the Bavarians were easily defeating a weak visitor defence. Kane’s movement caused a lot of issues, and Chalobah and Tosin never seemed at ease against Olise and Luis Diaz’s speed.
Robert Sanchez made a spectacular stop to keep Olise from scoring a third goal, extending his excellent start to the season. However, as Maresca’s team played wastefully, Kane bent the ball into the bottom corner for his second goal of the evening, and he was powerless to stop it.
It was a miserable homecoming to the Allianz, the site of the West Londoners’ maiden Champions League victory in 2012. After seeing their defence falter without the adaptable English centre-back on the European scene, many of the team’s fans will be itching for Levi Colwill to return.
“Deary Me”: Chelsea Supporters Activate Chalobah
The majority of Chelsea supporters would have disagreed with Maresca’s position if you had asked them if they were pleased to see Chalobah go last season. When his loan with Palace ended, he was greeted as a hero upon his return.
However, his performance tonight shows that he is not the Blues’ long-term solution, particularly if they hope to contend for major trophies. Though he is a reliable defender, he is not talented enough to guide the “world champions” to a Champions League or Premier League championship.
On X, fans recognised this, with one commenting:
“I cannot wait for the day Chalobah leaves this club for good”
Another admirer made reference to his conflict with Kane:
“Man, Chalobah deary me.” You still get spun around when Kane spins like a Tyrannosaurus Rex.
A fan is reminiscing about the time of Ricardo Carvalho and John Terry:
“Tosin and Chalobah on MY LIFE THIS IS THE WORST CENTERBACK PAIRING THIS FOOTBALL CLUB HAD EVER HAD”
Someone else questioned the club’s hiring practices:
“With (Malo) Gusto, Tosin, and Chalobah in the same backline, you are no match. Football isn’t for you if you can’t see these as a fan, sports director, or manager. Maresca’s lineup has been a terrible waste of time in the last two games.
Born into Chelsea’s youth system, Chalobah has been with the team since he was a young boy, progressing through the levels to join the senior squad. Prior to a loan arrangement being negotiated with Palace last summer, he had been on loan for multiple times and appeared to be on the verge of being sold.
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