After going on a six-match Premier League win streak, Chelsea has lost their last two games. Losses happen. Here are some things to watch out for as the Blues host Aston Villa and club icon, John Terry.
The most worrying thing about the loss to West Ham is that Chelsea never looked like winning the game. They barely even looked like scoring, creating half chances here and there. All that will need to improve against Aston Villa.
1. Defensive transitions
This was an issue at the beginning of the season and it seemed like Chelsea had improved. They have. Or perhaps they had.
However, in the last two games, Chelsea has been sloppy in reorganizing themselves after losing the ball, to the delight of their more technically-gifted opponents. Against Manchester City, Chelsea conceded two goals from mis-kicks that came in the middle third or in the final third. This shows that opponents organize their counterattacks against Chelsea faster than Chelsea organizes itself to defend.
Aston Villa is exceptionally quick at breaking into the final third and is a lot more organized in assembling a counterattack. With the way Chelsea has been all over the place defensively, Villa could have a field day.
2. Chelsea’s (false?) No. 9
Frank Lampard commented that Christian Pulisic is an option to play as a false 9 should the need arise. Lampard has three strikers on his roster, so he’s not likely to be in a situation where he has all three injured. It may just mean that Lampard is already considering himself out of strikers, regardless of their fitness status.
We already have seen him use Mason Mount as a winger while having wingers on the bench, or at home.
The player selected by Lampard to lead the line against Aston Villa might give an idea as to what Lampard is thinking in the big picture about his forwards. Will Olivier Giroud start? Will Michy Batshuayi? Will Christian Pulisic play up front? It is not to be ignored that playing as a false 9 requires tremendous discipline, and creative players may find it difficult, like Eden Hazard did.
Chelsea would miss what Pulisic offers from the wing, like they did with Hazard. Lampard should consider his Pulisic-as-a-9 plan carefully. It might not be better than the alternative of playing Michy Batshuayi up front. Batshuayi may have been sloppy in recent games, but Tammy Abraham was, too, in the early parts of this season. Abraham only got better with game time. Batshuayi will as well.
If Batshuayi does get the nod, he should be aware that whether Lampard explicitly tells him or not, it might be one of his last chances to impress for Chelsea. It might also be his last chance to play for Chelsea.
With the transfer window looming, anybody that doesn’t make the cut is likely to be walking through the door sometime in January.
3. Breaking down highly structured defenses
Yes, Chelsea had more shots and more shots on target than West Ham United. However, Chelsea never actually broke them down. This is a worry because you would not come against many teams like Norwich City, the type who play expansive against most opponents regardless of where they each reside on the table.
Aston Villa is not a flashy team, so they can not hope to outscore their opponents, especially if that opponent is Chelsea. What they can hope for is to limit Chelsea’s scoring chances. That tactic has worked quite deliciously this season, seeing as Chelsea has struggled to break down well-disciplined defenses like Crystal Palace, Newcastle United and West Ham.
Dean Smith has his Aston Villa team staying tight when they don’t have the ball, and then launching devastating counters when they do regain possession. It does not help Chelsea that Villa’s assistant coach is the best central defender to grace the Premier League.
Breaking down disciplined defenses is difficult. Very. However, that is what is required if the Blues are to get through games like this. Aimless passing between the center backs would not threaten any defense. Chelsea will need all the creativity they can get, and then some.
4. Set pieces (again. Still.)
Not to flog this issue, but Aston Villa scored from two set-pieces against Newcastle United. It is one of their more reliable ways of scoring.
With the Blues set-piece defending less than convincing, Villa will be more than happy to pounce on any shortcomings when it comes to free kicks. Lampard needs to reduce the amount of set-piece goals his side concede while increasing the amount they score. This team cannot challenge for anything if they stall in no man’s land on dead-ball situations.
Chelsea has also not being impressive in offensive set-pieces either, which is more frustrating because they win a lot of them. The likelihood of converting set-pieces has been further diminished by the absence of Marcos Alonso in the line-up. It’s completely fine if Lampard wants Alonso out of the line-up, but Alonso is better than Emerson at… everything, and he is one of the best set-piece takers in the team.
With Marcos Alonso out, Chelsea need to find other ways of scoring from set-pieces, even if it means working on a few funny routines.