Chelsea travel to St. Mary’s Stadium to build on their momentum. With Manchester United and Tottenham floundering, Chelsea need to take advantage of the situation before their rivals find their feet again.
Chelsea have won their last three games and one was even a clean sheet. They face Southampton before going into the international break, hoping to extend that run and come closer to resolving a few of their lingering problems.
1. Defending set pieces
Chelsea has been conceding set pieces for fun recently. Both goals Chelsea conceded in the Champions League were from set pieces. In fact Chelsea has only conceded two goals from open play since the last international break.
Oddly, this shows that Chelsea has improved defensively. However, Chelsea is a team who, up until 2 – 3 seasons ago, was famous for defending set pieces (by… actually defending them). Now Chelsea is almost always certain to concede from them.
Chelsea uses zonal marking, which gives them the best chance of defending set pieces because of the average height of the team. However, Frank Lampard needs to find a way to solve that problem, because it is not acceptable that Chelsea’s opponents have almost certain goals when they win set pieces against Chelsea.
It is easy to call for Lampard to “stop using zonal marking!!!”, but it’s not that simple. The only other alternative is N’Golo Kante man-marking Virgil Van Dijk or Cesar Azpilicueta man-marking Wilfred Ndidi. No chance.
2. Southampton’s approach
Southampton have lost their last two Premier League games. At home to face Chelsea, watch how they approach the game: Will they take the game to Chelsea and try to rattle the Blues’ young center-backs? Might they sit back and hope to play on the counter? (Yes.) Could they play for set pieces knowing that is their best chance of getting a goal? Especially with someone like James Ward-Prowse in the side.
Whatever approach they take, the Blues response will tell you what you need to know. Ralph Hassenhuttl has been improving this Southampton side. While they lost to Bournemouth at home, it would be foolish to ignore that on their day they can hurt Chelsea, especially having a player like Ward-Prowse who can utilize any space Chelsea gifts him.
3. Mason Mount
This is not supposed to be a topic of discussion as it is so obvious, but here we are.
Some Chelsea fans believe Christian Pulisic should be in the starting line-up. Some think he’s being kept out because he’s been subpar, others think he’s been kept out because Willian and Pedro have been excellent. Some think he’s been kept out by Mason Mount. Then there are those that “can’t seem to see what the rave about Mason Mount is.”
It is surprising that there are fans who think Mount gets selected because Lampard mentored him at Derby or because he’s “Lampard’s boy.” From the first competitive game Mount has played for Chelsea through Wednesday’s win at Lille, it should be easy to see why he keeps getting selected. Even to the point of playing ahead of wingers… in the wings.
So if you’re still baffled as to what Mason Mount has been doing that is keeping Christian Pulisic out of the side, I suggest you watch him.
4. Frank Lampard’s team selection
Lampard has not been doing a good job of rotating, which is absurd because he has a variety of talents at his disposal. Before the season started I said Lampard would need to use the whole of his squad if he’s going to get anything out of four competitions. The Champions League game against Lille was a good opportunity to rest Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham.
Unless Lampard doesn’t plan to play them on Sunday (he will), they should have rested, even if it meant having them on the bench and bringing them on if he felt they were needed.
I’m all for giving players playing time on merit, but if the same XI keep “meriting” it and they are the only ones starting games, then the simple approach becomes counter-productive.
Lampard will have to be smarter in selecting his lineups for cup competitions. Chelsea is in it to win it, but they can only stand a chance if every member of the squad is given a chance to make his own contribution while others take the necessary rest.
5. Kepa Arrizabalaga
I was one of Kepa Arrizabalaga’s biggest critics when he started his first few games for Chelsea. My friends told me I was overreacting. Part of it was liking him just because he wasn’t Thibaut Courtois and he wasn’t going to force his way out of the club a day before deadline day, part of it was liking a goalkeeper who is good with his feet.
I complained that Arrizabalaga was letting in goals he shouldn’t have been letting in, either because he didn’t get to the ball or he didn’t go for the ball.
A full season later, Chelsea seem to still be having the same problem. While he is young and still has a lot of goalkeeping years ahead of him, he is still not making saves that any goalkeeper of his age and level should be making. He does seem to have one outrageous save in him in every match and he has good reflexes, but there are times when he doesn’t even go for the ball.
By no means are we anywhere near the “Get him out of my club!!” stage – simply, he should be making more saves that he currently is. Watch how Kepa Arrizabalaga handles Southampton in and around his box: his reflexes, passing, but most especially his ball handling.