AMIDST the wreckage of Chelsea’s 3-0 loss to Leeds last weekend, it was pointed out that under Thomas Tuchel the Blues typically endure one surprising and heavy defeat per season.

In the German’s opening campaign in West London, his side were unbeaten in ten and flying when, from nowhere, they were dismantled by Sam Allardyce’s West Brom at the Bridge. The 2-5 score-line stunned.

Almost a year to the day later, Chelsea were once again in the ascendency having lost just one in 13 – and that a narrow defeat at the Etihad – when Brentford convincingly rolled them over. Descriptions of the Blues’ performance that afternoon ranged from ‘abject’ to ‘shambolic’, with particular criticism reserved for a defence that completely forgot how to defend.

And now there is a demolition in Yorkshire to make sense of, and even if it’s too early to claim Chelsea were flying for a third time at the point of getting shot down, that’s only because they hadn’t got fully airborne yet. At Goodison, on day one, it was business as usual, with an industrious display gaining a win. Against Spurs last week, Chelsea can count themselves unfortunate to concede an equaliser at the death but overall, their performance impressed.

All was going well and now it’s really not.

Before we even broach the possibility of crisis however, it’s worth recalling how Tuchel’s men responded to their other two seismic setbacks. Both times they ventured away from home; their pride wounded. Both times they comprehensively triumphed, with an aggregate score-line of 10-1 suggesting they channelled their frustration extremely well. Clearly, there is fortitude in this squad.

Chelsea won a league-high of nine penalties last term and have already scored from the spot this time out. They are 15/4 to be awarded with a pen on Saturday.

Should they hope to enact redirected revenge again when hosting Leicester this Saturday however, they must do so without Kalidou Koulibaly, their leader in the making, but as much as he will be missed, a reconfigured back-line is the least of Tuchel’s concerns right now, with a puzzle up front to solve.

Raheem Sterling needs a goal to settle into his new surroundings and at Elland Road he believed he was off the mark until VAR said otherwise. That happens. His response though was worrying, the England striker going into his shell for the remainder of the contest.

More pertinently, no goals so far this season for Chelsea’s attacking three is a shortfall to keep an eye on. Between them, Sterling and Mason Mount have racked up 13 shots without converting, while Kai Havertz looks a shadow of his usual self. In losing to Leeds, the third-highest scorers in the Premier League last term posted their worst xG for seven months.

It’s an obvious statement, as the club attempt to bring Pierre Emerick Aubameyang back to the capital, but Chelsea require a focal point, a player defined by end product. To date, their three goals in 2022/23 have come from a centre-back, a right wing-back and a holding midfielder from the spot.

The corner market entices for this one. Go low for Leicester as no club has won fewer this season. Go high for Chelsea as no club has won more. The home side have averaged 10 per game so far and are 9/5 to win 8.5 or over.

It’s a problem shared by their opponents, who know all about the urgent need to get their forwards firing. The Foxes went into a crucial game last weekend, that would go a long way to forming the narrative of their whole season, boosted by Jamie Vardy signing a new deal that keeps him at the King Power for two more years. In the event though the 35-year-old had just 11 touches throughout against Southampton. In the event, Leicester lost and now lie second from bottom in the league.

It’s been in the wind for some time that age will eventually catch up on the incomparable Vardy and this campaign may be the one that sees him made mortal. Behind him in the pecking order, Patson Daka has yet to prove himself a success or a failure while Kelechi Iheanacho will forever reside in that in-between state. Brendan Rodgers needs one of them to come to the fore and quickly, or else a season of struggle awaits.

Frankly, that may be the case regardless. Leicester are the only club across Europe’s top five leagues yet to make a signing this summer, while nine of their players are out of contract next May and inevitably all of this feeds into their poor showings, as too does the ongoing situation with unsettled Wesley Fofana who watched proceedings last week from the stands. If Rodgers felt his centre-back’s head wasn’t right for Southampton, the same surely applies for a visit to Chelsea, with the Blues reportedly close to signing him.

One possible bright note lies in Harvey Barnes returning to the fray, and don’t be surprised to see the winger pushed up into a more advanced role on Saturday, a duty he fulfilled well last season at Stamford Bridge as Leicester held on for a draw.  The form of James Maddison also encourages, though there is a danger of his ailing side relying on his individual magic too much.

Five of Barnes’ last six league goals have been converted away from the King Power and he is 6/1 to score anytime this weekend. It’s worth a punt at that price.

Don’t be alarmed either if the visitors go in front, because they are more than capable of doing so. It’s just holding on to an advantage where they tend to struggle. Last season, Leicester relinquished nine leads. They’ve already done so twice in 2022/23.

Overall, then, Chelsea should be fancied to again bounce back from a rare, heavy loss though unlike the previous two times, a comprehensive response feels unlikely. For one thing, this is a traditionally low-scoring encounter, averaging just 1.9 goals per game in the last 10 meetings.

And of course, neither team have a striker to really bank on.

A prediction of 2-1 is based on nothing more than gut-instinct. Instead, hedge your bets by backing Chelsea to win by an exact winning margin of one at 29/10.