The Pride of London
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Chelsea FC vs Southampton FC: Post-Match Reflections…

By Ejoh Celestine

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Chelsea’s Recent Form

Credit: Flickr User CFCUnofffical https://www.flickr.com/photos/cfcunofficial/16323501770/

  • Chelsea FC have opened scoring in 22 of the 28 games they have played in the EPL this season (and have scored in all but one of them). Sunday’s game is the 11th time in all tournaments Chelsea have failed to secure a win after taking the lead, with 7 coming in the EPL alone.
  • In 2015, Chelsea have scored first in all the 16 games they have played in all tournaments, with 9 coming in the league alone. Eight have ended without a win secured (four in the EPL alone), while two of those games have ended in defeats (Tottenham in the EPL and Bradford in the F.A. Cup).
  • According to FootballFormGuide and SoccerStats, Chelsea FC are behind Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United in the EPL form table, winning just 5 of their last 10 games (after winning 14 of the first 18), same number as Crystal Palace, Southampton and Stoke City. These teams are 12th, 6th and 8th on the EPL table respectively.
  • They have scored just 18 goals in those 10 games (after scoring 40 in the first 18) and conceded 10 (after conceding just 13 in the first 18).
  • Chelsea have drawn 3 of their last 5 games at Stamford Bridge in the EPL, all ending 1-1.

So despite the fact that Chelsea have scored in all the games they have played in 2015, they have not been as dominant as expected. Fatigue may have played a major role as almost all Chelsea’s key players didn’t have adequate rest in the summer due to their committments at the World Cup in 2014. The lack of a winter break in England has also been a problem, not only for Chelsea. Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal), Graziano Pelle (Southampton) and Sergio Aguero (Manchester City) have shown recent declines in performances since the turn of the year. The number of competitions hasn’t helped matters as well.

But one key problem has been Mourinho’s unwillingness to kill off opposing teams, instead trying to defend lone goal leads (which they ultimately fail to do). In 2015, Chelsea have created fewer chances, taken fewer shots and conceded more chances per game than they did before the winter round fixtures. While Manchester City haven’t fared much better, Arsenal and Liverpool have taken advantage and closed the gap massively.

Next: Final Thoughts

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