Chelsea needs to take advantage of the minute details

It was a successful Boxing Day outing for Chelsea as it came from behind to beat Aston Villa on Sunday. Although the final score reads a convincing victory for the Blues, that was far from the case in the first half. The introduction of Romelu Lukaku and the shifting of Christian Pulisic to right wingback acted as the catalyst that changed their fortunes on the afternoon. The arrival of Lukaku to lead the line gave Chelsea purpose in its attack. The Belgian’s movement and striker’s instincts opened up options that were not available for the time he was absent from the pitch. That was something Pulisic just could not provide since he is not used to such a role.

Despite being in a wingback role in the second half, the United States international looked dangerous due to his new position allowing him to run at opponents with the ball from the touchline. Players like Marcos Alonso, Mason Mount and Callum Hudson-Odoi had someone to look out for from the wings in the form of Lukaku. He made Aston Villa centerbacks Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konso—who are so tough—seemingly useless. Lukaku scored his goal by getting the better of Mings and later won the penalty at Konsa’s expense. These are just some of the things that Thomas Tuchel must take note of and capitalize on as the season carries on.

Chelsea needs to improve on a few small, poor tendencies in order to improve

Sunday’s was the kind of performance Tuchel and fans have always wanted from Lukaku. His off-the-ball work was excellent and there was not much walking or waiting from the Blues’ record signing. He was trying to make things happen. Lukaku was ultimately rewarded with the penalty to cap off a brilliant 45 minutes that saw him tally a goal and an assist. However, the first half was reminiscent of why Chelsea fell off the top of the table. As seen in the previous matches, the Blues were either wasting chances one after another or making nothing at all of the advantages. Despite maintaining the majority of the possession, little was done to make use of it throughout previous contests.

Reece James had no one to aim at and even when he had someone, he was not as accurate as he was during the beginning of the season. Meanwhile, Alonso often got the ball to byline only to pass it back rather than making a chance out of it. Mostly, the Blues were trying to look for a space by recycling it from side-to-side. The opponents don’t have to worry much in such scenarios and if there is a sloppy pass, they can go on a quick counterattack and catch Chelsea’s defense out.

This is where Liverpool and Manchester City are much more advanced at the moment. They rarely wait for a chance. More often than not, they make their own luck by their abilities to pass and run in behind the opposition’s defense. Granted, it won’t always reap benefits, but by moving the ball vertically, everyone on their side is on the move waiting for something to happen. Whereas at Chelsea, after a while of not getting receiving from the back, that intensity is cooled off as the Blues kick the ball around horizontally. It isn’t just about the forward pass either, even some of the backward passes are behind players when there is no opponent anywhere near.

The issue with such passing is that it allows the opposition to take one step forward while Chelsea has to take one step back. Such minute details make big differences. Needless to say, everything can’t be blamed on the players. COVID-19, injuries to key players and playing thrice a week have had an effect. But if they are to challenge Man City for the title, Tuchel’s men cannot afford any more slip ups. This squad still can enjoy a successful season with a bit of luck and improvement.

What did you make of Chelsea’s outing on Sunday? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!