Chelsea’s loss to Manchester City was a bit of a reality check after a good few weeks. The Blues still need transfers to reach the next level.
The long and fruitful run between the last two international breaks, on the backs of Chelsea’s previously neglected youth, caused many to beg for the transfer ban to stay in place for as long as possible. Half a joke, half serious, the statement spread as Reece James, Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori and more stood up and showed their quality.
If the near disaster versus Ajax was not it, then Manchester City’s victory over the Blues should be the reality check that Frank Lampard, Petr Cech, and the fans need. Regardless of whether or not the Blues are able to buy in January, transfer will still be required in the future to bring Chelsea to the same level as Manchester City and Liverpool.
Tactically, it is hard to point directly at Lampard and say he got anything wrong against Manchester City. City was kept mostly quiet by the set up and really the only difference Lampard could have made was later on with some of the substitutes (still a bit of a weakness for him) and urging the squad to speed up the play and go for it. But he also chose the players that let him down the most with alternative options available and that does put the spotlight on him as much as the players making the mistakes.
Emerson was, simply, terrible. Whatever criticism has been leveled at Marcos Alonso this season, Emerson was just as bad against Manchester City in ways that were clearly his weaknesses before the whistle for kickoff even came. Emerson hides poor positioning with his speed (that is, when he is bothered to come back at all). The errors he committed against City were elementary things that Pep Guardiola sides have been exploiting for the last decade plus.
Emerson would push up to press several times, inviting Kevin De Bruyne to fill the space the Italian vacated. De Bruyne did not even sneak into those spaces; he walked in as though he had been invited (because he had by Emerson). Riyad Mahrez basically had an arrow pointed by Emerson’s back as to where to make his dribble into the box. He still had to meg Fikayo Tomori on the way but Emerson did nothing to stop the shot.
Speaking of Tomori, and Kurt Zouma for that matter, late on they had no urgency to play more direct. City’s press effectively shifted around Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante leaving only long options that neither center back wanted to take. With minutes left, that made Chelsea’s possession look completely pointless if not fearful.
But part of the reason for that was the wingers selected. Christian Pulisic can play in behind, but he had the misfortune of being on the side City was constantly overloading. As a result, most of Chelsea’s attacks were directed towards the Blues’ right flank to Willian. Willian did as he almost always does; he retained possession and slowed the play down long enough for City to settle into place.
All of these issues were interconnected. They were not tactical issues so much as they were players ill suited to the tasks at hand. The Blues needed a left back who could control his area better than Emerson did (as Cesar Azpilicueta did much more effectively late on). Chelsea also needed a center back, any center back, willing to play direct to a winger looking to make a bursting run in behind.
Chelsea, of course, may have the answers in their academy like everything else this season. But if a ready made, world class option is available, the Blues should not hesitate. Chelsea has been playing well in big matches but losing regardless. The reason for this has almost always been players making mistakes or simply being poor fits for the task at hand.
The academy may have answers and that should be looked into, but for the rest the Blues need transfers. Liverpool has shown a good blend of academy players and ready made stars that won them the Champions League last year and potentially more in the future. If the Blues want to reach the peak again, transfer will be needed.