Chelsea's last taste of the Champions League underlined the gulf that has grown. A 4-1 defeat to Bayern Munich, and 7-1 on aggregate, may have appeared more respectable when Barcelona were then thrashed 8-2.
Chelsea, however, were outclassed before they were eliminated. “We had a heavy score,” reflected captain Cesar Azpilicueta. “We could see how they played; the intensity, the concentration. That is what it takes.”
It was an education for a young team. “A great marker in terms of the levels to be attained,” said Frank Lampard, who captained Chelsea to glory against Bayern in 2012. “It is a great platform to learn because in the Champions League you are playing against the best and we played against the best in Bayern Munich.”
Chelsea, in contrast, are Europe’s biggest, at least in terms of summer spending.
They return to continental competition against Sevilla, strengthened by some £220 million ($285m) of signings, spearheaded by Kai Havertz and Timo Werner, the scorers of three goals against Southampton on Saturday. "We have the quality and ability to fight for everything," added Azpilicueta.
Perhaps this is a barometer of progress, perhaps a chance to gauge expectations. Certainly it offers a flashback to Lampard’s inaugural Champions League campaign. It also commenced against Spanish opposition and Valencia won 1-0 at Stamford Bridge.
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Chelsea v Southampton ratings
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CHELSEA RATINGS: Kepa Arrizabalaga - 4. Kepa hasn’t inspired confidence and it was no different today: two bad hesitations cost Chelsea dearly at Stamford Bridge, particularly Southampton’s second. AFP -
Cesar Azpilicueta - 5. There’s a certain leadership to his game but Azpilicueta let himself down with some lethargic play in the second half, which led to some poor decision making. Struggled in one-on-one situations. AFP -
Andreas Christensen - 5. Doesn’t give Chelsea the sort of commanding centre-back aura that they need to thrive in the race for the top four, and struggled to track the runs of Southampton’s front runners. Getty -
Kurt Zouma - 4. Zouma started well but was poor after the break. His profligate passing and poor marking didn’t help Chelsea’s cause. PA -
Ben Chilwell - 6. Chilwell will prove a valuable asset on the basis of this performance. Like his teammates, he switched off at times defensively, but his distribution going forward, particularly when delivering the ball into the box, will make him a dream for Werner and co. AFP -
N’Golo Kante — 6. The Frenchman looked assured in possession and won the ball as you would expect, but he seems to lack confidence these days and it clearly rubs off on those around the Frenchman. AFP -
Jorginho - 6. Has to communicate better with his teammates, although the way he picks out players with his distribution is dazzling at times. Struggled when Southampton put him under pressure. AFP -
Christian Pulisic — 6. The US international was a bit rusty on his first start, but there were glimpses of quality and his presence will be welcomed by Frank Lampard. AFP -
Kai Havertz - 7. From his vision to his poise to his tap-in to make it 3-2 there was a lot to like for Havertz, although his perception needs work after he gave the ball away for Southampton’s first. EPA -
Mason Mount - 6. A largely inconsequential game from Mount who was fairly average throughout the pitch. He lacked quality on the ball but his movement was impressive, which enabled others to seize the space. AFP -
Timo Werner - 9. Ran riot at times with an impeccable performance in the form of two goals and an assist. AFP -
SUBSTITUTES: Hakim Ziyech - N/A. Got stuck in and wanted to surge forward at every available opportunity but he couldn’t preserve Chelsea’s lead on his own. PA -
Reece James - N/A. Couldn’t provide extra protection for Azpilicueta and wasn’t given enough time to fit into the system. PA -
Tammy Abraham - N/A. Failed to help kill the game off after being brought on for a late appearance. PA -
SOUTHAMPTON RATINGS: Alex McCarthy - 5. Was caught out for the second Chelsea goal and really did look rattled whenever they came forward. Needs to work on his distribution, which put his defenders under pressure unnecessarily. AFP -
Ryan Bertrand - 5. His delivery caused more issues as the game progressed but for the most part, he couldn’t break the Blues down. AFP -
Jannik Vestergaard - 7. The definition of a zero to hero performance after some rancid defending followed up by a vital header to equalise for the Saints. AFP -
Jan Bednarek - 5. It was a really poor showing from Bednarek as he never really seemed to settle into the game at Stamford Bridge. Time Werner gave him a tough afternoon. Reuters -
Kyle Walker-Peters - 6. Struggled to unleash his creativity but did showcase some nice defensive timing. Southampton will be hoping he can offer more as an outlet. Reuters -
Nathan Redmond - 5. Wasn’t able to drive his way into Chelsea’s final third in the manner he has done in other games. This was one of his quieter games. EPA -
Oriol Romeu - 8. Strong, sharp and efficient play from Romeu was capped off by a lovely assist for Southampton’s second goal. PA -
James Ward-Prowse - 6. Grew in confidence as the afternoon progressed and never allowed his side’s heads to drop. Once he was able to get his foot on the ball he was able to make a difference. Getty -
Theo Walcott, 7 -- Was constantly active with delivery after delivery and that paid off with his assist for Vestergaard’s goal. AFP -
Danny Ings - 7. Provided the Saints with an attacking outlet as he so often does and took his goal really well in the first half. As ever, was as effective creating chances as taking them. PA -
Che Adams, 7 -- So often found himself in the right place in the right time which helped him to grab a vital equaliser after a handful of Chelsea errors. Grabbed an assist too in a productive afternoon. PA -
Ibrahima Diallo, N/A -- Seemed to help piece things together and introduced a renewed confidence upon being introduced. Getty -
Nathan Tella, N/A -- Worked incredibly hard when coming on and showed the sort of pace that will help Southampton thrive this season. Getty -
Shane Long, N/A -- Forced the issue and asked a few questions of Chelsea late in the game. AFP
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“Getting through the group was a good outcome after losing the first game,” said Lampard.
If Chelsea hope to ensure history does not repeat itself, a meeting of the last two Europa League champions offers a contrast: one a buying club, one a selling one. Sevilla have been great overachievers when they have ventured abroad whereas, over the last six seasons, Chelsea have not been, despite Maurizio Sarri’s 2018-19 triumph.
Last season these teams came fourth in England and Spain. Azpilicueta deflected questions about where Sevilla would finish in the Premier League but said: “We saw them beat Manchester United in the Europa League.”
Chelsea’s stuttering form does not offer optimism.
“We didn’t start the way we wanted in the Premier League,” Azpilicueta said. Chelsea have two 3-3 draws already this season. “We have to improve the defensive side and this is a problem we have to fix collectively and individually,” said right-back Azpilicueta.
“One day you can get away with it but you cannot rely every single game to score four goals. To have this solidity defensively is key moving forward.”
Lampard is all too aware of the damning figures, with 18 goals conceded in nine European matches on his watch, plus 63 in 43 in the Premier League. He chose to highlight other facts. “The other stat is we have conceded the second least shots in the Premier League behind Manchester City,” he said. “We don’t concede many shots but when we do, we concede goals.”
That, in turn, highlighted the shortage of saves from Chelsea’s goalkeepers. The summer recruit Edouard Mendy may yet resolve that issue but a thigh injury rules him out on Tuesday and Kepa Arrizabalaga conceded three times against Southampton on Saturday.
“Sometimes you feel everything goes against you,” said a more sympathetic Azpilicueta, but his compatriot will be in the spotlight again.
Lampard reflected back to Bayern: the missed chances at home, the four-minute double from Serge Gnabry to take the game away from him, the red card for Marcos Alonso and Jorginho’s needless booking to rule each out of the second leg.
The Champions League can be unforgiving. “Concentration and focus and discipline becomes even more important than at other levels of football,” he said. But Azpilicueta provided the rallying cry. He said: “We are Chelsea, we are at home and we have to be ready to compete.”
