Chelsea FC 0-1 Arsenal: FA Community Shield Reflections
Dave For Left Back…?
Chelsea’s decision to sell Filipe Luis back to Atletico Madrid indicates that the club has probably decided to show faith in Cesar Azpilicueta’s ability to man the left-back position, which is a justified sentiment based on his performances since Mourinho made the switch. But his lacklustre showing in Chelsea’s last few games (PSG, Barcelona and Arsenal) indicates that he may not be all that capable against top-class opposition.
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He was directly responsible for Luis Suarez’s goal in the pre-season friendly draw with Barcelona when he misjudged the flight of a ball into the box and headed it into the path of the Uruguayan international for the equaliser. Against PSG, he was beaten for pace time and again by Lucas Moura, who ran circles around the Spaniard.
On Sunday, he had probably his worst performance since he made the move to Chelsea. Hector Bellerin and Chamberlain made life really difficult for the 24-year-old, who struggled to deal with the pace of both players. At one point, he almost ripped Chamberlain’s shirt while trying to track the youngster’s run after another poor set-piece from Fabregas initiated a counter-attacking opportunity.
He was clearly out of pace and his concentration wasn’t as sharp as it should have been, which was reflected in Arsenal’s goal where he allowed Chamberlain to cut in too easily and smash the ball into the top corner, despite being well positioned.
He was also very ineffective going forward and rarely ventured into Arsenal’s defensive third of the pitch, which has always been a recurring concern due to his inability to use his left foot effectively. He was clearly suffering from his accumulated number of pre-season minutes, as he was the most used player during the club’s United States tour.
Hazard’s unwillingness to track back may have made his job difficult, but Sunday’s game may be Mourinho’s clearest indication that the Blues really need a backup option at left back to help ensure that Dave doesn’t become too fatigued to perform consistently.
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