Chelsea FC v Southampton: Post-Match Reflections
…And Criticizing The Blues
While Mourinho’s team selection did not help matters (more on that later), the sluggish, disjointed, unimaginative performances by the players selected both in attack and defense made the defeat even worse. It felt like a squad hastily assembled to execute the match, that was how uncoordinated the performance was! The limited cohesion meant that those on the ball found little or no support around them, which made Southampton’s constant high pressing very effective.
Chelsea were pushed back every time they tried to initiate a passing attacking move, forcing them to resort to long balls up-field to Radamel Falcao, who had to deal with the attentions of both Fonte and Van Dijk. And even the few times when he managed to win the aerial battle, neither one of Hazard, Oscar, Willian or Fabregas were close enough to pick up the knock downs, making his efforts null and void.
More from Premier League
- Bournemouth 0-0 Chelsea player ratings: Abysmal, reckless, wasteful
- Bournemouth 0-0 Chelsea: 3 Blues talking points
- Chelsea vs Bournemouth: 3 things to look out for on the south coast
- Is there cause for concern about Chelsea being in 12th place again?
- Chelsea’s risky youth gamble amidst turbulent times
And even in defence, the efforts made by Cahill and Terry to win the aerial battle against Pelle were constantly negated by the lack of Chelsea players around to win the second balls, as Ramires was constantly being crowded out by Mane, Tadic and Davis due to the limited support he received from his midfield partner, Cesc Fabregas. The Spaniard, along with Eden Hazard, were practical spectators when the Blues lost possession of the ball. The lack of unity between attack and midfield, and midfield and defence made it difficult for the team to attack or defend effectively.
Hazard in particular was being carried along by the team as he offered next to nothing going forward. He failed to contribute defensively either as he was clearly unwilling to track back to support Azpilicueta down the left or close down Cedric Soares whenever Stekelenburg was forced to find an option to get the ball away from his goal.
Ivanovic, meanwhile, maintained his low standards, which has become the norm, and was fortunate not to have been sent-off (unfortunately for the Blues!). He even managed to make a hilarious attempt to stop Mane from setting up Southampton’s fourth goal (which was fortunately prevented by an excellent block by John Terry) down Chelsea’s right flank, falling down theatrically in the process. That singular moment was a perfect reflection of Chelsea’s performance on the day…hilarious, nerve-racking and disconcerting!
Next: Jose’s Blame Game