Chelsea: Lessons learnt as Blues get dominated by Sheffield

Chelsea was dominated in a 3-0 performance against Sheffield United. Here are the lessons learnt from that performance on Saturday.

Chelsea was never expected to compete for a UEFA Champions League spot this season. This is because the Blues went two transfer windows with no action, while also having a rookie manager in Frank Lampard. Yet, they found themselves in the thick of the race and in third place heading to Bramall Lane.

However, Chelsea’s weaknesses have been insidiously lurking all season and especially so since the beginning of Project Restart. On Saturday against Sheffield United, those weaknesses were on full display. Here is what we learnt:

1. Frank Lampard is experiencing growing pains

Despite spending a season as manager at Derby County, Lampard is still a relatively inexperienced coach. Taking over a top six Premier League club at such a young age was bound to come with some growing pains—this was on full display on Saturday.

Lampard’s starting XI raised some eyebrows ahead of the match. Starting Tammy Abraham over red-hot Olivier Giroud, and not letting Mateo Kovacic get a run out after the team was desperately struggling, highlighted just two mind-boggling decisions. How about pulling the most dynamic player on the pitch since the restart in Christian Pulisic early in the second half?

All of these decisions came down to Lampard’s control. The Chelsea legend took responsibility in the post-match interview by saying he learned a lot and that he won’t forget that performance. Let’s be clear, it is okay to having growing pains as a manager, but with the Champions League in grasp, it is not okay to let those growing pains affect said grasp.

Chelsea needs to prioritize defence this transfer window

The signings of Timo Werner from RB Leipzig and Hakim Ziyech from Ajax show that the Blues are focusing on making significant upgrades to the attack. Kai Havertz of Bayer Leverkusen has been heavily linked to the club, showing even more intent by Chelsea to prioritize the creativity of the side. While this is great and any addition is positive momentum, defence must be prioritized.

A porous backline has gotten Chelsea in trouble this season and has been a worrying trend the last few years. Since the Premier League resumed, the Blues have lost to West Ham—where they conceded three goals—and now to Sheffield, in which they conceded three goals once more. While it is a popular trend to blame these on goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, it comes down to lazy and sloppy defensive play, primarily by the centrebacks.

Project Restart’s intense schedule may be affecting the Blues

It seems every other match Chelsea is on its game with incredible motivation, while the other is characterized by sluggishness and a lack of passion. The match at Bramall Lane was a perfect example of how that sluggishness and lack of motivation was present. After having just secured third place in the EPL outright and with the Champions League in sight, the Blues came out lacking any edge to take on an opponent who hasn’t been in great form since the restart.

Usually, this type of performance early has been mitigated with tactical substitutions on Lampard’s part, but this did not occur in possibly the most important match since the restart. Playing every three to four days will have this impact, and it is where the desire to win and good squad chemistry must take over. Instead, the Blues have been defeating themselves before they ever stepped on the pitch. Now, they must rely on other clubs to drop points in order to sustain their position in the Champions League spots.

What did you learn from the match at Bramall Lane? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!