Chelsea: James and Azpilicueta show how balance is more important than flash

While recognition is due to the attack for scoring three goals, Chelsea’s defense made all the difference in the win over Burnley. At the end, it was never about pace, but it was more about balance.

Let’s acknowledge right from the start that Burnley were not good. Chelsea controlled the game after the first goal in all areas of the pitch. But as simple as it was for the team to get the win, this served as a good practice for more difficult matches.

Frank Lampard and the Chelsea team deserves credit for keeping a clean sheet. Lampard decided to change things up a bit in the back four, considering certain players’ recent form. Reece James played at right-back and Cesar Azpilicueta at left-back. This decision alone allowed for the team to show – and hopefully for everyone to understand – that pace is not as important as control and balance.

Reece James was nothing short of outstanding throughout the game. Although Burnley gave him all sorts of space to operate, James took complete advantage of it and made the most of every play. He worked hard to get up the field to assist Callum Hudson-Odoi and never neglected his defensive duties. His speed allowed him to move quickly to cross the ball and his physicality helped him recover the ball without many problems.

On the other side, Cesar Azpilicueta was the reason James was able to have such a productive and industrious game.

Azpilicueta, as the world has already seen, is not the most assertive player in the attack, which, considering his age and abilities, is completely fine.

Instead of going forward and trying to forcefully create the attack, he defended and covered his angles. And even then, he still managed to get an assist. But make no mistake, this is not due to his attacking abilities: this is because the defense was under control, therefore giving him the opportunity and time to be productive going forward.

However, the game could have probably been a lot different had Emerson played as left-back.

As seen in previous games, Emerson has not been providing anything substantial for the team. No attack, no crosses and, most importantly, no defensive capabilities. This has often left an unbalanced defense where the center backs are forced to cover some areas of the pitch, stretching the defence and leaving the entire back line exposed. The only thing he produced was pace, which, at the end, he did not use in any productive sense.

The balance between an energetic right back who can get up and down the pitch while being effective and a seasoned left back who knows how to defend and keep an organized back-line is the way to go from now on. Burnley was just a test, and the team passed with flying colors.

As it stands, Reece James has earned a permanent spot on the team while Azpilicueta has once again proven the unreasonable critics wrong.

With both defenders protecting the flanks, Chelsea should be able to keep more clean sheets and provide the right results for the rest of the season.