Chelsea succumbed to a disappointing 1-0 defeat at the hands of the newly crowned Premier League champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in an end-of-season encounter that largely lacked intensity and felt much like a testimonial.
A Pep Guardiola side, fresh from their fifth top-flight title in six years, can be forgiven for their more relaxed attitude given the scintillating football they’ve flaunted on a frighteningly consistent basis over the course of the season.
In a pre-match press conference, Frank Lampard questioned the commitment of some of the squad and felt they should be trying to impress the incoming Mauricio Pochettino, who has agreed a deal to become the new manager.
He said:
“Whatever their motivation is, whether it is to impress an incoming manager, whether to impress another club they might be moving on to if that is the motivation they need then they should take that and use that.”
It was yet another criminally pedestrian display from a side that looks lifeless and demoralised. There were glimpses of hope, predominantly provided through the young Lewis Hall and the experienced Raheem Sterling, but a distinct lack of quality and cutting edge.
One player who failed to repay his boss’ faith was Conor Gallagher, who against a hugely rotated home team, couldn’t make his mark.
How did Conor Gallagher perform vs Man City?
The west Londoners have won just one of their nine top-flight games and the 23-year-old failed to make any impact.
Disappointingly, the Englishman managed just a shocking nine accurate passes and 24 touches, which disappointingly saw him rank below Kepa Arrizabalaga for both metrics.
The £50k-per-week dud failed to register any accurate long balls or crosses, as he appeared painfully off the pace in an underwhelming showing.
Earlier in the term, Darren Bent described the six-cap international as a “fish out of water” in the Chelsea squad, and it is becoming increasingly hard to formulate an argument to disprove this.
At Crystal Palace, in a far less pressured environment, the midfielder thrived, having registered 11 goal contributions and the highest average rating in the squad, as per WhoScored.
However, his imperious form in South London has drastically failed to translate into any dividends at Stamford Bridge.
Whilst his work rate as an engine room machine cannot be questioned, his alarming lack of technique and quality is a huge hindrance to his development.
In the last transfer window, Everton were reportedly willing to spend up to £45m to bring Gallagher to Goodison Park and Chelsea’s decision to reject this is looking more uncalculated as the uninspiring performances continue.