Chelsea: Making the case for the Blues to field a No. 10

Chelsea is running out of ideas and changes to get out of this funk, so why don’t the Blues consider fielding a true No. 10?

Another week, another terrible defeat for Chelsea. After falling 3-1 in embarrassing fashion to a far superior Manchester City side on Sunday, the Blues have now lost four of their previous six matches and sit seven points off the top of the league. There was not one specific reason that Chelsea lost to City, but Pep Guardiola’s side was simply better on the night. The Citizens made sharper passes, ran faster and overall, played harder than the Blues, despite the fact that six of their players were missing due to either injury or COVID-19. Frank Lampard’s boys were simply embarrassed, and honestly should have lost by a lot more than two goals.

A frustrating theme of Chelsea’s play during this horrendous run of form has been a lack of creativity. Even after spending around £250 million this summer—most of it on forwards—the Blues have found quality scoring opportunities hard to come by, and even harder to convert. The main reason for this is the fact that Chelsea is playing without a No. 10 who can pull the strings on the attack and set up teammates for easy goals.

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When Lampard originally changed the team’s formation from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-3-3 a few months ago—thus eliminating the central attacking midfield position entirely—the Blues were playing confidently and could rely on the wingers to create chances for whoever was playing as the No. 9. They were flowing freely and scoring goals with ease, forcing opponents to play more defensively with men behind the ball. However, now that these chances are coming less frequently, it is time for a return to the 4-2-3-1.

A large reason that the Blues have struggled to score recently has been the positioning of the lone striker. Especially when Timo Werner is on the pitch, the No. 9 is being forced to drop deeper to get the ball from one of the three midfielders. This allows the opposing centerbacks to assist their teammates in marking the two wingers or positioning themselves to defend a cross easily. If there were a player in the No. 10 role, the striker would not have to drop so far back and could focus on poaching goals near the six yard box, while creating space for the other forwards to run into.

This positioning wrinkle has been a huge reason for Olivier Giroud’s individual success this season. Giroud is obviously not the most mobile forward, but his ability to find the soft spots in the opponent’s defense is second to none in the Premier League. The Frenchman rarely leaves the penalty area when Chelsea is on the attack, which gives players like Christian Pulisic, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Hakim Ziyech a target to aim their crosses at. With a player in the CAM role, these passes would be available regardless of who is playing striker.

The main issue with this formation change is deciding who to play as the No. 10. The apparent choice is Kai Havertz, although his play in recent weeks has made it difficult to justify starting the young German international. Until Havertz finds his feet in the EPL, Pulisic is probably the best choice for the position. He is comfortable playing as a CAM, which he has done countless times for the American national team, and moving him inside frees up a spot in the starting XI for arguably Chelsea’s most in-form player in Hudson-Odoi.

Of course, there will be many more tactical adjustments that will need to be made if the Blues are actually going to change to a 4-2-3-1 formation. Lampard will be given massive leeway because of his club legend status, so he should, rightfully, not worry about being sacked anytime soon. However, something needs to change, and fast, if Chelsea is going to secure a spot in next year’s Champions League.

What do you think the Blues should tweak in order to find their form? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!