Chelsea have looked unbeatable at times this season, yet at other times, they look ordinary as seen in the four defeats they have suffered this season, only in the Premier League.
The trick here is teams are finding ways to stop Eden Hazard in Chelsea’s new shape, rendering Antonio Conte’s side practically dysfunctional in games, and this is according to Daily Telegraph writer Matt Law, speaking on Sky Sports’ Sunday Supplement.
There has been another defeat as well this season, in the Champions League, when Chelsea fell to AS Roma to give the table topping right to the Italian side in Group C. In the league however, Chelsea are still third although someway off the leaders Manchester City who managed a win over neighbors Man United on Sunday, courtesy a Nicholas Otamendi second half strike.
Chelsea’s fourth defeat in the top flight this season came at the Olympic stadium against a struggling West Ham United, rooted in relegation battle.
Matt Law believes Chelsea will struggle against teams that are able to stop Hazard.
“They played really badly, started off really slow and they keep conceding the first goal. The worrying thing is that it’s getting to the stage where if you stop [Eden] Hazard, you stop Chelsea.
He’s changed the system, taking Pedro and Willian out of the team and he’s playing Hazard alongside Alvaro Morata which puts so much pressure on Hazard. If you get him on a quiet day or you manage to stop him, they just fall down in the last third and that’s what happened against West Ham.”
Matt Law, Sky Sports