System of defending set pieces
Finally, set pieces. Having a tall team is not enough to make you good at set pieces. Positioning before the ball is kicked and after the ball is kicked is extremely important in set pieces. In fact, everything is extremely important in a set-piece situation. Chelsea was using a man-marking system for defending set pieces last season and it was successful, perhaps because they had the personnel for it.
The Blues lost four players over six feet they had in the squad last season. Marcos Alonso (6 ft. 2), Romelu Lukaku (6 ft. 3), Andreas Christensen (6 ft. 2), and Antonio Rudiger (6 ft. 3) all played huge roles in Chelsea’s set-piece defending. Especially Rudiger and Alonso, who played 33 league games and 28 league games respectively last season. Christensen also played a big part, as he played 50% of the Blues’ league games. This has undoubtedly had an effect on how Tuchel sets his team up to defend aerially.
Now, the Blues are using a zonal marking system, which restricts players’ positions from the get-go. This also means that the role of each player is somewhat ambiguous in a set piece, as players are responsible for “areas” rather than a single person. Therefore opponents can plan for and exploit Chelsea in set pieces if they do their due diligence.
A common theme in the set pieces the Blues have conceded this season is centerbacks not being close to anyone when the ball comes in or centerbacks losing their markers. In at least two set-piece situations, Reece James has been the one contesting the aerial duel, often losing it, unsurprisingly. This isn’t particularly coincidental. In the free kick against Leeds for 2-0 and the corner against Tottenham Hotspur for 2-2, Koulibaly and Silva were nowhere near the action as they had been taken out of the game with the cross. Chelsea has acquired more players over 6 ft. now so expect Chelsea to go back to a system that works much better anytime soon. Fofana and Denis Zakaria are both 6 ft. 3.
This was mentioned briefly before, but it’s more than a small problem. Chelsea’s centerbacks and wingbacks have not done a good job of picking up runners. Against West Ham, Chelsea’s back line was dragged to their left during an attack, Cornet made his way from their left all the way over to the back post, running past a Koulibaly who never even turned his head to know where Cornet was. The result was a free header from Cornet in the six-yard box that hit the post. That is just one example. Against Southampton, Adam Armstrong’s run was not tracked by Silva nor Cesar Azpilicueta, allowing the Southampton forward to pick his spot in the box, sort his feet out, and score. This has been happening far too often and it needs to stop.
In conclusion, there is no simple way to solve the problems that Chelsea has at the moment, but identifying the problem is as important as solving it, perhaps more important. Tuchel has mentioned being weak in defending and that mentality is what the players need to defend better, this is obviously not true. Lack of ball retention in key areas of the pitch has a part to play; the addition of new faces into the back line means players like Silva and Mendy have to adjust to the change as well as the rest of the back line, and Chelsea’s system of defending set pieces means key centerbacks lose their markers often. These aren’t problems that will be solved in the space of a week, but Tuchel has shown that he’s good at identifying and solving the Blues’ defensive issues, and so he should be trusted with this one as well.
Credit to Jordan and Tyler for asking leading questions that shed some light on the possible causes of these defensive issues.