Watford vs. Chelsea: Five tactical questions on speed, resilience, set pieces
By Dan Clark
Chelsea make the short trip to Vicarage Road to take on Watford on Monday evening. Here are five key questions that will shape this fixture.
Chelsea go to Watford looking to bounce back from the horror show against Bournemouth in midweek. Watford, meanwhile, hope to stop a winless Premier League run stretching back to Boxing Day.
1. Can Chelsea recover from Wednesday’s disappointment?
If I had a $1 for every time Chelsea have been “in crisis” this season, I’d probably have about $8. But still, it seems like every other week Antonio Conte is responding to questions on his future. The crisis talk overlooks how well Chelsea have recovered from some of their most disappointing results and performances this season:
Chelsea 2 – 3 Burnley, followed by Spurs 1 – 2 Chelsea
Crystal Palace 2 – 1 Chelsea, followed by Chelsea 3 – 3 Roma
Roma 3 – 0 Chelsea, followed by Chelsea 1 – 0 Manchester United
West Ham 1 – 0 Chelsea, followed by Huddersfield 1 – 3 Chelsea
Arsenal 2 – 1 Chelsea, followed by Chelsea 3 – Newcastle 0
Barring the 3-3 draw against Roma, which even then was a spirited fightback, Chelsea respond very well. This season has been distinctly average thus far, but the players’ commitment to Antonio Conte cannot be questioned. They picked themselves up and dusted themselves off on numerous occasions, and they will be hoping Monday can be the same.
2. Will Callum Hudson-Odoi feature?
Just about the only positive from the midweek defeat was the performance of 17-year-old Callum Hudson-Odoi. The youngster showed more attacking threat and desire in his 25 minutes on the pitch than the rest of the team combined.
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With Alvaro Morata still injured, and new signing Olivier Giroud unlikely to be thrown in at the deep end, Hudson-Odoi could have a big chance to impress once more. At least he would provide a focal point in a 3-4-3 and would allow Eden Hazard to play in his preferred position just behind the striker.
3. Will Watford mirror Chelsea’s formation?
Not only did Bournemouth win 3-0 at Stamford Bridge, they did so using Antonio Conte’s own formation. The cheek. Of course, teams have tried this in the past and failed miserably. See Brighton 0 – Chelsea 4 for proof.
New Watford manager Javi Garcia has utilised a 4-3-3 so far in his limited time in charge, but he must be tempted to follow Eddie Howe’s blueprint and try to beat Chelsea at their own game. A front three of Richarlison and January recruit Gerard Deulofeu behind Andre Gray would surely cause Chelsea’s back-line some problems, which brings us nicely onto the next point…
4. Can Chelsea handle Watford’s pace?
Without Andreas Christensen’s calming influence at the heart of Chelsea’s back three against Bournemouth, Chelsea were all over the place. Gary Cahill is an excellent defender, but he lacks the pace and positional awareness to play in the centre of a three. Callum Wilson and Co. ran the Blues ragged, their speed and movement causing serious problems.
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Watford started with Troy Deeney as the central striker in their previous game against Stoke, but Andre Gray will surely start this time around. The front three of Richarlison, Gray and Deulofeu has the potential to hurt Chelsea’s defence. Hopefully the re-introduction of David Luiz can bring some order back to proceedings.
5. Can Chelsea expose Watford’s defensive frailties from set pieces?
Only two sides have conceded more than Watford’s 12 goals from set pieces this season, so this is an area that Antonio Conte will be looking to exploit. The Blues have been traditionally very good from corners, so this could be the area they look to target on Monday night.
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Chelsea seem to have increased the number of short corners they take recently, but Conte may ask for more to go direct in the box in this one. If Cesc Fabregas gets a start, his delivery could be useful.