Chelsea are continuing thier unfathomable run of form in the Premier League this season after losing againt Everton on Saturday.
Mourinho’s teams are usually solid in defense but it’s been a disaster this campaign. Twelve goals conceded this season in five games is all a Chelsea fan can look at and feel rightly foiled.
There is very little to cheer about when you watch Jose Mourinho’s men play these days. No structure, no creativity and absolutely no determination to secure three points in any game. These are five things we learnt in Chelsea’s game against Everton.
1. Stones showed his worth with a stellar performance
Jose Mourinho had made it clear he wanted John Stones this summer and the former Barnsley defender showed us why in his side’s impressive win in Saturday’s early kick off.
Stones was one of the shining light for Everton at the Goodison Park and rightly so as he showed real maturity with a display like that against a side that chased his signature all summer. His distribution from the Everton backline and how he tucked Costa easily into his back pocket, we saw why Mourinho was obesessed with Stones in Chelsea’s four failed bids.
2. Steven Naismith taught Chelsea’s forwards a lesson of determination
Naismith was an early introduction from the bench after Besic was pulled out injured in the early minutes of the game. His hattrick was the highlight of the game, but the overrall performance was enhanced by the energy he put in to make a difference. He wanted to count for something.
At the moment, Chelsea’s forwards seem content with being tagged Champions and having a gold badge on their shirts. Congratulations to Naismith, Hats off to you!
3. Fabregas is no where to be seen
With a staggering 16 assists by December, Fabregas was well the best number 8 in the Premier League last season. He created chances, found attackers in the tightest of spaces and made Chelsea look better than thry truly were.
It’s no coincidence that Chelsea’s loss of form at the latter part of last season culminated in Fabregas’ dip in form. Jose’s plan to withdraw him on the pitch to see the bigger picture from a position alongside defensive midfielder, Nemanja Matic was a master stroke.
However, this season, Chelsea have looked ordinary and thanks to Fabregas’ sluggish displays which has seen him prodcucing positive numbers 10 times less than he did last season.
4. The defense lacks leadership
There have been different combinations at centre back this campaign, as Jose has tried to seal the holes in the leaky back line he’s got.
John Terry, Gary Cahill and Kurt Zouma have swapped places on the bench a few times this season after five games and no combinations have solved the biggest problem in this Chelsea squad.
It seems there is a plot by Premier League wingers to assault the right back position after Jefferson Montero tore Branislav Ivanovic apart.
However, the centre backs have not helped the much maligned Serbian captain and the biggest problem for me has been a lack of leadership at the back and this was very evident against Everton.
Skipper of the Blues, Terry has not looked confident and dominant as has his vice captain. Their poor form has pushed Chelsea to the drains of the top flight with their inability to drag the team to end of 90 minutes with three points in the bag.
5. Chelsea’s problem in defense crops up from attack
With Eden Hazard and Pedro out of sorts against Everton, Chelsea looked very average in attack. The Blues could not pressurise the Toffees in the final third. Everton had the liberty to attack Chelsea because of the the West London club’s ineffectivess upfront.
Diego Costa was a shadow of his usual self. Radamel Falcao, who scored against Crystal Palace before the international break came off the bench but produced similar results as his fellow former Atletico Madrid forward.
Chelsea could not find spaces to attack, their attempted penetrative passes found Everton defense and the ONLY positive was Matic’s pile-driver to reduce the deficit as Everton were ahead with two goals.
If Chelsea will start winning games, their attack will need to inject some pace in their games and put fear into the hearts of the opposition defenses.
After all, we are Chelsea!
