As often is the case, blame is being thrown around everywhere after Chelsea dropped points. But the points were not dropped tactically, but in training.
It is a familiar story line this season. Chelsea will start aggressively coming and going and then at some point they simply hit the wall. The gas is on empty and the opponent starts to overrun them.
Many want to point towards the tactics as the reason why Chelsea dropped points to Sheffield United. That would be too simplistic and frankly, too easy. They want to blame Frank Lampard’s naivety but the match was not drawn because of his on pitch decisions. No, it was drawn because of decisions before that.
Lampard has a clear vision for how he wants the team to play and it is more Jurgen Klopp than Pep Guardiola. He wants the forwards to press aggressively and constantly to either win the ball back directly or force an unplanned pass. Then the midfield or defense is supposed to press to win the ball back. Once the ball is won, the goal is not to linger, but to get forward in numbers faster than the opponent can set up defensively.
When it works, it looks fantastic. But it is incredibly taxing and even with a full preseason of conditioning, it is clearly too much too soon for Chelsea coming off of a more lax style of physical training last season. The Blues are perfectly capable of playing the way Lampard wants but they are simply not close to being able to do it for a full match, let alone several in a row.
Sheffield United showed the result of that. While the speed of play was high initially, even in the first half Chelsea began to show signs of wilting. Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham, who no doubt have played so much in part due to their willingness to go all in as Lampard desires, had mostly stopped pressing by the 30 minute mark.
It is the fitness issues that lead to the tactical ones. When the forwards do not press, the midfield is left exposed. The fullbacks have to push up as the wingers start tracking back less and less in support. And suddenly the gaps turn up all over.
Mateo Kovacic coming off was one of the signs of the fatigue. Mind, he finished few matches last season, but he was arguably Chelsea’s most solid midfielder on the day. And while the match was not changed in anyway due to Billy Gilmour, it might have been the better move to bring on Andreas Christensen in the midfield.
The addition of Willian and Michy Batshuayi added little as well. Even if they did, the remaining players on the team were clearly on empty and Sheffield United was going to take advantage. Many want to blame the subs or the tactics but due to the lack of energy, the points were lost long before any sub came on.
It almost appears as though Lampard has asked too much too soon from his team. Klopp did the same during his first year in England (even with a preseason in the middle of it). The goal has to be learning when to expend that kind of energy throughout a game rather than all at once. And in the meantime, the training needs to create a platform from which the players can actually perform.
With the League Cup and Champions League added to the schedule after the break, Lampard must reevaluate some of his training practices and rotation. He has several players willing to do as he asks but physically they are not there yet. Knowing when to go all out, when to reel it in, and who is ready on the day and who is not will be key to turning things around going into September.