Chelsea has lost two games already this season, Saturday opponents West Ham United are not doing any better having lost three of their first five. Thomas Tuchel’s men are already eight points behind the league leaders and need to start picking up consecutive wins quickly.
The problem is that their next opponents are not any easier than the opponents they’ve already faced. Chelsea would likely have completed the Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang signing by then so there may be fresh hope by the time the games actually come around. Truth is, where the Blues has just been plain bad, David Moyes’s men have been unlucky, but here are three things to watch out for as CFC go into their third derby already this season.
Chelsea’s Set pieces and defending
Chelsea has already conceded too many goals from set pieces this season. They conceded the last minute Harry Kane header against Tottenham Hotspur in the London Derby; the Rodrigo header in the London Derby against Leeds United, and the Romeo Lavia strike against Southampton. That’s three goals allowed from set pieces out of eight goals already conceded in five games. West Ham has been a better defensive unit than Chelsea this season.
Moyes’s men have conceded just 16 shots on target after five games, compared to Chelsea’s 27. No, it’s not because their opponents have been bad shooters, as two of their opponents this season were Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur. The Hammers only allowed five shots on target across those two games. In fact against Manchester City, their two shots on target came from one player: Erling Haaland. This means that Chelsea has averaged 5.4 shots on target allowed per game this season, compared to West Ham’s 3.2. The difference is clear.