Chelsea did not look convincing for the first half and some of the second against Crystal Palace. Although there were a lot of positives to take from the match, one constant remains: David Luiz is the weak link in the defense and will eventually cost the team.
Maurizio Sarri extended his unbeaten streak to 11 Premier League games after defeating Crystal Palace. But Chelsea’s first half was nothing short of dreadful. The defense were taking too long to pass the ball forward, instead running up the field with it. Add to that slow passes everywhere on the pitch, little movement off the ball and no real connection with the forwards, and Palace had a foothold in the game. Although Alvaro Morata opened the scoring in the 32’, nothing else really happened for the Blues.
For the first 15 minutes of the second half, not much changed for Chelsea. In response to the Blues’ lack of initiative, Andros Townsend leveled the score for Crystal Palace. That prompted Sarri to make the much-needed changes to ignite his side to a win. Bringing Eden Hazard and Mateo Kovacic on for Willian and Ross Barkley, respectively, led Chelsea to completely overpower Palace and bring the three points home.
Do not mistake: there were a lot of positives in the game. Alvaro Morata performed extremely well and showed how well he is adapting to a new system. Eden Hazard again showed he is the best player in the league. And Maurizio Sarri recognized that rotating players is critical.
However, the one goal conceded by Chelsea is enough reason to worry. In fact, that one goal has been a constant fear factor for the Blues. And there is only one person to blame: David Luiz.
Chelsea, for the most part, were very organized in the back line. Cesar Azpilicueta kept Wilfried Zaha, Palace’s main threat, well-covered. Their one-on-one battles down the line were entertaining, mainly because Zaha was contained. On the other side, Marcos Alonso refrained from going forward too many times to prevent the opposition’s counter attack.
In the middle, though, David Luiz went forward and left his position far too often. This usual tendency of his eventually cost Chelsea a goal in a game where Kepa Arrizabalaga deserved a clean sheet.
Unfortunately, this is not the first, nor the second, nor even the tenth time it has happened. Luiz left his position in the back line to cover someone who did not need to be covered. As a result, James McArthur played a through-ball that left Antonio Rudiger and Alonso alone and helpless in the counter.
The Brazilian has a tendency to believe he is a midfielder with a lot of freedom. Maybe he admires Cesc Fabregas and his ability to find players with long passes and move about the midfield. After all, imitation is the greatest form of flattery. But, for Chelsea, this type of mentality has come at a price. Maybe a goal against Crystal Palace isn’t all that bad. After all, Chelsea came out on top by scoring three themselves.
But against more difficult opponents, especially title-rivals like Manchester City, two of those mistakes will surely results in goals and losses.
Luiz’s mistakes also force everyone else to work the extra mile to close out a game by forcefully trying to score more goals. This has led to players looking fatigued, and it is only November. In games like Sunday’s, where scoring more than one or two goals is likely, such defensive errors can almost be over looked. But when it is time for the defense to tighten up and hold a one-goal result, making common mistakes – which should be called negligence at this point – is unacceptable. Chelsea need to be able to win comfortably and efficiently, without additional exertions or stress, especially as the holiday season approaches.
Meanwhile, Chelsea has a brilliant young center-back sitting on the bench by the name of Andreas Christensen. Despite his age, Christensen has proven himself against the senior members of the squad. Christensen is the type of defender who sticks to his task and covers areas, much like John Terry did in his prime. He is a smart young player who has a lot of potential and, with a couple of full seasons under his belt, his full talent may come to fruition.
Although Christensen is not enjoying a good run of form, giving him more playing time in the Europa League, Carabao Cup and FA Cup matches – and, yes, the Premier League – is the only way back to his best.
For now, one thing is certain. Chelsea are approaching the most critical part of the season where they cannot repeat mistakes that have already been made and surely addressed. David Luiz has all but proven that he is unlikely to change his ways. Allowing a player to be the weak link for so long will ultimately be detrimental for the Blues’ season.