Chelsea: Important clean sheet vs. Palace, as defense is still limiting factor

Chelsea are top four in the Premier League but are right in the middle of the table for goals conceded. Saturday’s clean sheet notwithstanding, the Blues’ defence will stand between the team and their ambitions.

When Jose Mourinho arrived at Chelsea for his second stint, the Premier League had changed a lot since his departure. The two teams who finished above Chelsea in his first season back were known for their brilliant attacking quality. Liverpool under Brendan Rodgers always tried scoring at least one more than they conceded.

Naturally, the Liverpool-embracing English media was all praise for Rodger’s team while ridiculing Mourinho’s Chelsea, which attributed more importance to keeping a clean sheet. Many pundits wanted Liverpool to win the league just to prove that attack can secure the title and undermine Mourinho’s mantra.

Liverpool, for all their attacking brilliance, failed to top the points chart due to stumbling at home to Chelsea and drawing away to Crystal Palace. While Liverpool still hasn’t won the title, Mourinho took care of his defense in the first year before refining his attack on his way to the Premier League title the next year.

Frank Lampard’s Chelsea will go into the international break third or fourth in the standings after some initial troubles. For all their attacking brilliance, mistakes at the back are something Lampard will still desire to improve. At this point, those mistakes have not cost him the Premier League. But those issues proved to be fatal in the League Cup and were among the reasons why Ajax scored four in the Champions League.

Chelsea cannot always pick up wins simply by scoring more goals than the opposition. Eventually they have to make sure the defense is capable of keeping clean sheets, and win games by conceding fewer than their opponents. The match against Watford, which ended as a tight contest, was a match that should not have played out as  it did. The mistakes and confusion at the back gave the Hornets the confidence they could achieve something from the match.

Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool bolstered their defense, and the impact Alisson and Virgil Van Dijk have made on that team is immense. Presently they are one of the best teams in the world. All champions around the world maintain a formidable defense, even if they are not brilliant attacking sides.

Frank Lampard’s Chelsea team is still young and on their first steps. Injuries have been unkind, too. But the season started four months ago and they cannot ride on the current fortune for long. The players need stepping up at the back.

If they can do this, this team won’t have to wait for long to be an exceptionally successful side.