Chelsea’s defensive and set piece issues part two: The cause

New arrivals in the back line

The second factor to consider is the new arrivals. This is one that neither Tuchel nor the players can do about yet, but it has definitely contributed to the issue. Defenses are better the more structured they are. This means that the less changed a back line is, the better. Chelsea’s back line heavily consisted of Thiago Silva and Antonio Rudiger last season. This season Rudiger is no longer there, and now Wesley Fofana has also been added to that back line on the right of Silva.

Silva has never played with Koulibaly or Fofana prior to this season. This means that before they can begin to churn out top defensive performances, they must be on the same page in terms of communication. Good communication among centerbacks would solve problems like having free runners in the box; knowing who is stepping out into the midfield to try and stop developing attacks and who’s sitting back to sweep; knowing who’s stepping out to tackle and who’s staying back as cover, and many more. All these would come with time. Edouard Mendy and Thiago Silva will need to take some responsibility for this as well because they play a big part in organizing the defense.