Chelsea FC’s Defensive Conundrum

I was going through this article on Chelseaindex and it really got me thinking… what is really responsible for Chelsea FC’s recent defensive frailties? Since the turn of the year, the Blues have scored in every game they have played in all tournaments and more importantly, they have also scored FIRST in all the games as well.

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Unfortunately, in the 18 games played in 2015, Chelsea have managed 10 wins, 6 draws and 2 defeats. I say unfortunately, because Mourinho sides are known to possess two major attributes… defensive stability and the ability to hold on to leads. Mourinho’s first title-winning season at the club was characterised by a lot of 1-0 victories (11 of the 38 league games played in the 2004/05 season ended in 1-0 victories).

While the blame cannot be placed solely on the defense, it has to be said that Chelsea have been shaky at the back all season (mainly away from home), not just this year alone, most especially down the right side, manned by Branislav Ivanovic and Gary Cahill. Majority of the goals conceded by the Blues in all tournaments have come from the right side of defense as teams have observed and exposed the weaknesses down that flank time and time again.

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Chelsea have conceded 26 EPL goals this season, but only seven have come at Stamford Bridge. In 2015, Chelsea have conceded 10 goals in 11 EPL games as opposed to 16 in the first 19 games. Added to the 4 goals against Bradford in the F.A. Cup, 1 against Liverpool in the League Cup and 3 against PSG in the Champion’s league, that makes 18 goals conceded in all tournaments in 2015.

One key reason for this defensive slump has been the apparent rebirth of Branislav Ivanovic as an attacking force for the club. This season alone, he has managed 4 EPL goals (6 in all tournaments), which is not all that unusual. What is actually unusual is the fact that none of the 4 goals have been scored from a set-piece or with a header. He has also managed 4 assists as opposed to 1 in the 2013/14 season.

Season     Blocks Clearances Aerial Duels Tackles Long balls Dribbles Key Passes
2014/15    0.1          3.7                 2.9                  2.4          1.5               0.9             1.0
2013/14    0.2         5.0                 3.3                  1.8           2.2               0.5             0.8

His blocks and clearances have dropped from last season while he is winning fewer headers, indicating that he is carrying out fewer defensive actions. The fact that he is attempting more tackles, playing fewer long balls and attempting more dribbles indicates that he is influencing games much higher up the pitch than in previous seasons.

He isn’t graced with a lot of pace, so whenever he ventures forward, he finds it difficult to track back as quickly as he should, leaving Gary Cahill exposed to threats from the right flank. He has also developed the frustrating habit of trying to block crosses (which he fails to accomplish most of the time) instead of actually preventing them, while he has the tendency to retreat towards goal when faced by an opponent running at him which gives opposing players time and space to cause damage.

Gary Cahill has been the one who has suffered most from Ivanovic’s recent lazy defensive contributions. He isn’t a proactive player by nature, neither is he blessed with a lot of pace. His major strength is his positional sense as he always tries to be in the right place at the right time to block shots and make clearances (hence making him a reactive player). Like Ivanovic, he tends to retreat towards goal when facing an opposing player running at him.

John Terry has been Chelsea’s most consistent centre back this season (but just behind Azpilicueta in defensive input). His leadership ability, positional sense, aerial ability and almost perfect ball distribution has made this possible. Unlike Cahill, he knows when to step out of defense to knick balls away from attacking players, but again he isn’t blessed with a lot of pace, so is vulnerable to quick breaks.

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Since Mourinho’s return to the club, he has tried to get his players to defend from the front by constant pressing. As a result, the team tends to play a high line against relatively weaker sides, with the two central midfielders playing closer to the half way line, meaning that the defenders have to push up as well. Unfortunately, as Terry and Cahill are pretty slow and Ivanovic finds it difficult to track back quickly, both centre backs are forced to position themselves closer to the 18 yard box, meaning that opposing teams have a lot of space to exploit between the midfield and central defence.

Chelsea’s 5-3 defeat to Tottenham on New Year day was a case in point as Chadli, Kane, Rose and Eriksen had a field day in the midfield and down their left flank as they took advantage of the space left by Matic (who had an uncharacteristic poor game) and Fabregas (who isn’t known for his defensive input) in central midfield, while Ivanovic had a really poor game at right back and caused Cahill to be exposed time and time again.

Mourinho tried to solve this problem in the league game against Hull City by using the offside trap to counteract the lack of pace from the centre backs, but it failed as Hernandez and N’Doye kept beating the trap, but where unable to take full advantage due to a combination of poor finishing and an excellent Courtois performance.

Matic, unlike Mikel and Makalele, is a pretty mobile defensive midfielder as he tends to make forward runs whenever he gets the ball. Unfortunately, his central midfield partner, Fabregas, offers very little in defence, meaning that Chelsea are vulnerable to quick counter attacks in such situations.

Also, since the turn of the year, both players have suffered declines in form, probably due to fatigue, as well as Oscar, who was one of Chelsea’s most persistent pressers earlier in the season. As a result, the high intensity pressing football from earlier in the season has practically disappeared and has forced Mourinho to depend on counter attacking tactics.

Personally, I feel the situation can be resolved easily. Ivanovic may offer a lot going forward, but he is a liability to the team in defence. As a result, giving him some time on the bench could help him put things into perspective. He has played every single EPL game for Chelsea this season, so some time off from the first team should not be out of place. Azpilicueta has been pretty excellent this season at left-back, but has had limited input going forward due to his inability to use his left foot.

Playing him in his natural right-back position could help sort out the defensive problems down that flank without reducing his attacking input, as he is a naturally better crosser than Ivanovic. This would give Luis (whom Chelsea spent 16 million pounds to secure), more game time in his left-back position as he has been pretty impressive in the few games he has played.

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Barring that, a central defensive pairing of Kurt Zouma and John Terry should be implemented. Kurt Zouma may be pretty young at 20, but his excellent showings against Manchester City in the EPL as well as against Liverpool and Tottenham (where he played in defensive midfield) in the League Cup have shown that he is capable of handling himself against top opposition. Incidentally, he was paired with John Terry in all those games.