Chelsea: Four things to look for against Watford as Blues seek rebound

2. Can Chelsea’s backline deal with Troy Deeney?

It’s no secret that Chelsea’s defense is somewhat soft, to put it kindly. Opponents flow through the box like water through a sieve. If it’s a set piece, there might as well not even be a sieve. If anyone is curious as to how Chelsea managed to keep Manchester City at bay yet were hammered by West Ham, just look at their respective strikers.

Bernardo Silva was the nominal striker for City, measuring in at a relatively benign 5’ 8” and 140 pounds. The role was taken over by Gabriel Jesus in the second half, who just eclipses Silva at 5’ 9” and 160 pounds. While they gave Chelsea the run around for most of the evening, neither player had the physicality to take advantage of Chelsea’s weak spots.

Fast forward three days. A confident Chelsea stroll across town to the London Stadium, ready for a relaxing, comfortable victory. Enter Michail Antonio, all 5’ 11” and 180 pounds of him. Now there is reason to start to worry. It’s not like he’s a Peter Crouchian aerial threat, nor does he have the outlandish power of a Didier Drogba. Antonio is just a stellar athlete, the type who could succeed in just about any sport, and he knows how to use his body to get results.

The first sign of danger came within the first fifteen minutes, when he used a quick burst of pace and a lowered shoulder to slip between Antonio Rudiger and Marcos Alonso, only to mercifully roll a scuffed cross/shot out for a goal kick. Eventually, early in the second half, Antonio bagged his goal through his smarts and ability to recover after going to ground (read: diving) in the buildup. Finally, Andriy Yarmolenko’s winner was set up by Antonio after he boxed out and then waltzed behind an utterly overmatched Andreas Christensen. Game, set, match.

Next up is Troy Deeney, the final boss of physically dominant and infuriatingly crafty strikers. Not an ideal matchup for Chelsea.No one is saying Deeney will score a hat trick, but he’s the perfect player to absolutely demolish this physically and mentally frail Chelsea defense. Deeney will be at the center of everything good that happens for Watford on Saturday. It’ll be up to Lampard and his choice of defenders to try and limit his impact. Based on recent history, it doesn’t bode well for the Blues’ back line.