Chelsea Tactics and Transfers: Premier League losses and EFL Cup comebacks
Chelsea followed up a Premier League loss with a resilient EFL Cup win over Leicester City. What did we learn about the Blues over an up-and-down week?
LEICESTER, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 20 : Manager Antonio Conte celebrates Cesc Fabregas’ goal to make it 2-3 in extra time during the EFL third round cup match between Leicester City and Chelsea at the King Power Stadium on September 20th , 2016 in Leicester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)
Chelsea’s last two games against Liverpool and Leicester City brought into focus many of the attributes that had surfaced over the course of the season. Between individual and group performances, the will to win that Chelsea lacked last year and Antonio Conte’s personnel decisions in the EFL Cup, a fuller picture is now in view.
A David Luiz reality
There is no telling what David Luiz fans will claim he has done. For years they bantered about this “ball playing nonsense.” Soon they’ll talk about how he figured out debt relief in Africa and cured Zika in Brazil.
It is encouraging that Chelsea defeated Leicester and seem to have righted the ship after it had gone slightly off course. However, to those people claiming that Luiz’s matches were full of playmaking, pinpoint, genius passes: What are you on about?
Fans lying about David Luiz’s productivity is as much a part of the Brazilian’s mystique as his hair. These are David Luiz’s statistics in the Premier League from Squawka. He made 65 successful passes. Zero assists, 0 chances created and 0 key passes. If he did nothing useful with those 65 passes, just how pinpoint and playmaking were they?
He lost just as many tackles as he won, and only won 37.5% of his aerial duels. What are you guys talking about? Stop it. He is a nice guy with a handsome smile but that doesn’t justify going crazy with this other stuff about him.
Antonio Conte can save Cesc Fabregas
Cesc Fabregas owned the bottom line on the score sheet. Fabregas’ problem, though, has long been that he often fades from matches. He does not play the full season at a consistent level.
The Leicester City match was a perfect example of what a good Fabregas is like. Sadly, he rarely plays that well for an extended period of time. If Fabregas can perform at this level for a full season, Chelsea will be in a wonderful position.
RELATED: CESC FABREGAS CALLS OUT CRITICS IN POST-GAME INTERVIEW
Antonio Conte has always maintained that Fabregas is part of his plans. There is no reason to doubt him. Fabregas is too good and Conte is too much of a workhorse for Conte to think that he can’t get the best out of Fabregas.
A player only being good for half a season tends to mean they aren’t in the best shape. It’s that simple. If Conte improves Fabregas’ fitness, the Blues will reap the rewards of their partnership. Nemanja Matic’s days as a forward-playing midfielder are limited.
LEICESTER, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 20: Leicester City’s Shinji Okazaki and Chelsea’s Gary Cahill in action
during the EFL Cup Third round match between Leicester City and Chelsea at The King Power Stadium on September 20, 2016 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Rachel Holborn/CameraSport via Getty Images)
Chelsea’s defence is a mess
Chelsea’s defending has been atrocious in recent matches. The recent run of form shows just how much Chelsea still rely on John Terry. Good defending is based on these simple principles: communication, organization and teamwork. Without those three pillars, the wall will fall and your club will concede goals.
Between Branislav Ivanovic, Gary Cahill and Luiz, Chelsea do not have a single player who can communicate or organize a defense at anything above a rudimentary level.
Dejan Lovren’s goal for Liverpool embarrassed Chelsea. None of the defenders spoke to one another. A simple swinging free-kick should be basic business and a simple clearance. Instead, Lovren looked like Luis Suarez and Luiz, Cahill and Ivanovic showed exactly what is wrong with the club right now.
Leicester’s goals were even worse. Conte must sort out this horror show soon. John Terry is another day too old to lead the club. Chelsea are doing him a disservice by not having the contingency in place at this point.
VELDEN, AUSTRIA – JULY 20: Nathaniel Chalobah of Chelsea in action during the friendly match between WAC RZ Pellets and Chelsea F.C. at Worthersee Stadion on July 20, 2016 in Velden, Austria. (Photo by Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images)
The youth get involved
Thankfully, Chelsea involved some youngsters in the match against Leicester with Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Nathaniel Chalobah and Michy Batshuayi getting significant minutes.
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Welcome to the first team, Nathaniel Chalobah! Having been at the club his entire life and not tasting a single minute of senior football, Chalobah could have been excused for thinking that his chance would never come.
He has always appeared good enough for a first team role and yet has ended up in a litany of strange and awkward loan scenarios. He had a distinct impact in his debut. Chelsea only turned the match around against Leicester once Chalobah was on the field. He was not perfect and definitely misplaced a few passes, but he fulfilled his duties.
He was generally quite conservative, and Chelsea needed his athleticism and calmness. Once he matures, he could very well be the perfect partner for N’Golo Kante.
Meanwhile, the Ruben Loftus-Cheek as a striker experiment will hopefully end soon. He does not seem to be taking to the position and looks like a very frustrated young man that far up the field.
He is a defensive midfielder by trade and has years of experience at the position. He and Chalobah deserve to be in the pivot for Chelsea in some of the less important matches this season.
Cesar Azpilicueta is ready to lead
Cesar Azpilicueta is making his case to be the next Chelsea captain more and more every week. He sparked the turnaround against Leicester and is one of the most consistent players in the team. If there is a single person to have covered even a single toe in glory against Leicester besides Cesc Fabregas, it is Azpilicueta.
Azpilicueta screamed and gestured for his teammates to drive forward and win the match while everybody seemed too tired to continue. That is the mark of a leader. He possesses many of the qualities of Inter’s long-time captain Javier Zanetti. Azpilicueta has been a perfect professional and role model for years, without ever making a big deal about it.
He is not a diva – h simply does the job that is required to help the team. He has played out of position for years without a single complaint and could just as easily switch to midfield if needed.
Jose Mourinho once said “with 11 Azpilicueta’s you could win the Champions League.” Hyperbole aside, Chelsea still have the one. He makes a convincing case to be the captain moving forward.
SWANSEA, WALES – SEPTEMBER 11: Thibaut Courtois of Chelsea in action during the Premier League match between Swansea City and Chelsea at The Liberty Stadium on September 11, 2016 in Swansea, Wales. (photo by Athena Pictures/Getty Images)
Chelsea need to sell Thibaut Courtois
Thibaut Courtois should be out of the team. Chelsea should be done with the ungrateful, disrespectful and not-as-good-as-he-should-be goalkeeper. Seeing Courtois between the posts where Petr Cech once ruled so magnificently is a disgrace to the the Czech genius.
Courtois has never really recovered from the knee surgery he had a couple of years ago. Neither has his attitude. The amount of time he spends talking about how he would like to play in other countries for other teams far outweighs the amount of time he spends talking about improving his own club.
What a child. Cut the cord Chelsea.
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