Three lessons from Chelsea’s loss to Everton: Never as simple as it seems

2. Frank Lampard’s role to play

Chelsea’s defense has been horribly porous this campaign. Largely covered up thus far by outstanding performances from Chelsea’s forwards further up the pitch, these few weeks have finally seen Chelsea’s poor form at the back take center stage.

From Marcos Alonso’s and Emerson’s lack of positional discipline or situational awareness to Zouma and Cesar Azpilicueta’s questionable leadership at the back, Chelsea’s defense is seemingly a problem Lampard cannot solve.

Herein raises the question: Who should be on the other end of the finger-pointing for the team’s defensive miseries: the players or the manager?

As is the case in most instances, the truth lies somewhere in between.

Lampard’s Chelsea sets up in a high octane, high pressing 4-3-3 setup, much like Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool in the first few years of his tenure. Upon conceding the ball, Chelsea, as did Liverpool before them, look to press high to win the ball further up the pitch in what is known as “Gegenpressing” or counter pressing. By pushing all three lines of players further up the pitch after losing the ball, Chelsea aim to pressure their opponents into surrendering possession by hitting the ball long, allowing the team to reset from the back.

In theory and on paper, Chelsea has the tactics and the personnel to make things work. Yet Everton continued to threaten on the break despite Chelsea’s press. This could be due to several factors, the first of which would be the effects of fatigue hitting Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Christian Pulisic, who lead Chelsea’s pressing efforts. The consequence is Chelsea’s press would not have the desired effect of preventing their opponent’s time on the ball. Moreover, the effects of fatigue on the teamis that they are often caught in transition due to a mental delay in reacting to changes in possession on the pitch.

Furthermore, Chelsea’s back line, perhaps due to a lack of confidence, often choose to hang back instead of pressing up together with the midfield and attack, resulting in a huge space opening between defense and midfield. Everton duly exploited that space by hitting targeted long balls into these areas where their forwards were waiting.

These, coupled with individual human errors from the back line of which Arrizabalaga and Zouma were particularly guilty, lead to Lampard’s Chelsea are conceding the number of goals they are. Additionally, Lampard’s constant tinkering of the back line prevents any kind of chemistry between players and positional familiarity from developing, further contributing to the team’s defensive woes.

While Chelsea still sit pretty in the top four, five points above fifth placed Manchester United, it is still early days in the season. It is precisely so that a solution to Chelsea’s defensive conundrum has to be quickly found and properly executed. Failing to do so could have severe implications on Chelsea’s season at large and the club’s top four ambitions.