Chelsea needed the near-loss to Man U to force some rethinking

Chelsea made many mistakes en route to a draw with Manchester United, making it feel like the Blues lost the game. Salvaging a point does not absolve anyone from failing to perform.

Chelsea faced Manchester United in an intense match that had it all. Goals, bad calls, a last-minute equalizer and even a confrontation in the technical area. On paper, the Blues dominated the majority of the game. With more possession and shots on target, one would think Chelsea were in complete control from the first minute to the last.

However, it was Chelsea, despite their good run of form in recent games, who hardly managed an equalizing goal in the 96′.

Chelsea kept a cool and controlled first half. Antonio Rudiger opened the scoring in the 21′ with a great header. For a good stretch of time after that, it seemed Jose Mourinho’s men wouldn’t be able to come back. Paul Pogba underperformed after the mistake that led to the goal, Romelu Lukaku hardly touched the ball and United’s style of play was out of balance. They looked incapable of digging themselves out.

However, Chelsea’s passing and regular tactics were not as fluent as they should have been. Manchester United had managed to break the rhythm of Sarrismo. The Blues could not penetrate the defense as they kept possession by just passing at the half line.

The defenders, in particular David Luiz, resorted to playing long balls. Shortly after, Jorginho joined in and lobbed passes to Willian, Eden Hazard, Alvaro Morata and Marcos Alonso – all which ended in failure.

Once the second half arrived, Chelsea had no answers for United. Meanwhile, the Red Devils were determined to exploit the Blues on the counter attack. And, to their credit, it worked. Anthony Martial scored two goals while taking advantage of Luiz being out of position, leaving Cesar Azpilicueta to cover two players.

After conceding two goals, Chelsea lost composure and almost the game. They lacked fluidity in the passing and had no conviction in the attack. And, more importantly, once a player had the ball, only one or two players came near him for support. This was clearly a sign of desperation and urgency to score. But for Sarrismo to work, the player in possession must always have three options to pass, thus creating space for mobility.

Ultimately, Ross Barkley equalized by being in the right place at the right time inside the box. But by no means is anyone absolved from the bad performances, especially in the defense.

Chelsea are failing to create sufficient clear chances considering the amount of possession they enjoy. This is turning out to be an Achilles’ heel and leaves Eden Hazard to solve the problem for everyone else. But in games like Saturday’s, where he was constantly marked, there is only so much he can do.

The most worrying aspects were the defense and lack of organization. David Luiz, who was involved in both Chelsea goals, was also responsible for the mistakes that led to United’s. Having a good impact on the game up the pitch does not mean defensive errors are “okay” or even forgiven. Luiz opted to run up the field, surely something Sarri did not want and leaving Rudiger and Azpilicueta to defend on the counter. He wasted good build-up opportunities by sending long balls towards the forwards. And, as usual, when it comes to dropping back, his reaction time left much to be desired.

Chelsea should have really won this game. Manchester United have been on a rocky path since the beginning of the season and Jose Mourinho has not helped the situation. His players are frustrated and the club smells of uncertainty. Yet Chelsea blew the opportunity to take a massive three points.

This outcome feels more of a loss than a draw. Usually, depending on the circumstances, taking a point against a big team would be satisfactory. But in this case it was an utter failure to defeat a demoralized opposition. It was also complete disobedience from the players to implement the manager’s tactics.

If there is anything positive for the game it is how much Chelsea needed an “almost defeat.” Maurizio Sarri now has a lot of work to do organizing the defense and creating a “Plan B” in case things are not looking good. Finally, some players should be sidelined to improve the squad.

After the dreadful mistakes, surely the Italian coach will rethink some strategies and come back stronger next game. After all, one learns from losing, not winning.