Chelsea missing the through-balls to put forwards into the box and on goal
By George Perry
Willian’s goal against Brighton was a Goal of the Season contender for the build-up between Willian, Eden Hazard and Michy Batshuayi. But the goal was also notable for Chelsea fans because of just how rare moments like that have been this season.
Premier League teams have discovered several ways to break down Chelsea’s attack. One of the most simple is playing a firm defensive line – usually five men – across the top of the box. The opponent’s back-line turns into a force-field, stalling Chelsea’s initial momentum and then repelling the Blues’ few efforts to penetrate.
As a result, Chelsea end up with less purposeful possession in the final third. They pass the ball until they turn it over or attempt a low-probability long-range shot. Eden Hazard makes his usual attempts to punch through the defensive line on his own, but is quickly out-numbered to an extent that overwhelms even him.
Hazard and his teammates have not played the quick one-two’s and through-balls leading to shots and goals this season. The Blues have completed 17 through-ball passes this season, on track with last year’s 30. But only three have resulted in a goal, compared to 10 in the last campaign.
That is a significant reduction: 33% of Chelsea’s through-balls produced a goal en route to the title, whereas this season only 18% end in joy. In the preceding two seasons – finishing 10th in 2015/16 and winning the Premier League in 2014/15 – the Blues converted 32% and 35% of through-balls, respectively.
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Similarly, this season has the lowest percentage of assists coming from through-balls over the last four seasons. 12% of Chelsea’s assists have been through-balls, compared to 18% last season and 20% in the dismal 2015/16 campaign.
Chelsea’s signature goal this season has been the diagonal cross from Cesar Azpilicueta to an Alvaro Morata header. After several weeks of success and highlights, opponents understood the importance of marking out this pass while Chelsea became too dependent on this link-up. It became one more predictable, one-dimensional aspect of the Blues’ game-plan.
In their last two title-winning seasons Chelsea had a strong mix of goal set-ups. Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa linked up via aerial long balls or through-balls into the box. Eden Hazard, Willian, Pedro, Fabregas and Costa took their turns with quick passes at the top or side of the box to play each other through on goal.
Morata has been a decent target man in the air. But he has not shown the timing or the physicality for runs into Premier League boxes.
The wingers produce endless flicks and back-heels, but usually they are too far out and too horizontal to send someone in on goal. One of the many pitfalls of not having a true centre-forward and instead using Eden Hazard as a false-nine is not having the one player to take the final touch. When all the forwards are wingers, they have the tendency to take one extra touch or one more pass around the perimeter. Without anyone making a decisive run in behind, they do not have a target for the through-ball nor do they take the initiative themselves.
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Cesc Fabregas, the man Chelsea most count on to find the impossible pass to any forward, has not developed a thorough relationship with any of his forwards. He and Diego Costa had a near-instant rapport. But he still has not found the best way to serve Alvaro Morata. Eden Hazard is more likely to drop deep to gather the ball, negating Fabregas’ options to pick him out. Fabregas and Batshuayi had few opportunities to link-up.
And, at the end of the play, the wingers are simply not making the runs in behind the defensive line. The attack are not creating the sequence that puts the ball to Fabregas as a winger goes on a run. Those set-ups let Fabregas spot and meet the run with a perfectly-timed and weighted pass (like the Andre Schurrle goal against Burnley).
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Chelsea should have enough skill to pierce through a ruggedly simplistic Premier League defensive wall. Instead, they have spent much of this season on the outside looking into the box.