Having not won a game of football in over a month and out of both domestic cup competitions already, consecutive defeats this week against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League and Southampton in the Premier League have condemned Chelsea to just two wins in their last 15 games. This is unacceptable form for a club of Chelsea’s stature.
While injuries and a constantly changing squad have undoubtedly played a part in Chelsea’s poor run of form, Saturday’s dismal performance against a manager-less Saints side, who find themselves bottom of the league with one win in 10 matches, represents a new low for Graham Potter. Here are three things that the Chelsea manager got wrong in CFC versus Southampton.
An absurd number of changes to the side
One of the biggest problems Potter has had to overcome, as he himself frequently talks about, is the lack of consistency in terms of the squad from which he could select a starting eleven from. An understandable result of constant injuries to key players and an unfortunate by-product of adding 6 first-team players into the team across the Janaury transfer window, Potter has never had the luxury of having consistent options upon which he could rely on. This much is undeniable.
However, Potter certainly did not help matters against Southampton with his decision to make seven whole changes to the side that played well, but ultimately lost to Borussia Dortmund. As a direct consequence of this bizarre decision, Chelsea’s forward line and midfield looked completely lost and out of touch with one another against a disciplined Southampton. The forwards greatly struggled to string together a meaningful series of passes whilst Enzo Fernandez toiled away in the midfield, seemingly operating on an entirely different wavelength from Mateo Kovacic.
Considering how well Chelsea played against Dortmund and notwithstanding the fact that some players, such as Kai Havertz, were rightly dropped following a poor run of form, was the better option not to stick with what worked four days prior? At the end of the day, as much as Potter would want to point to various reasons behind the team’s poor performances and results, there are simply no excuses for failing to beat the last-placed team in the league at home. Chelsea fans are right to demand better, and Potter has much to do in order to bring the fans back on side.
Starting Cesar Azpilicueta instead of Reece James
Reece James’ importance to this Chelsea side is such that insofar as he is fit and ready for selection, he has to start. Against Southampton, Chelsea’s lack of dynamism and attacking flair in the first half could perhaps be explained with James’ absence from the side. While the Blues‘ reliance on James perhaps borders on concerning, it is simultaneously true that the Blues lose so much in attack without the English full-back marauding down the right side of the pitch. This is not intended as a slight on Azpilicueta but rather an indication of just how important of a talent James is. As much as Chelsea’s current club captain remains a reliable defender and undeniably offers much needed experience on the pitch, he is simply unable to offer the dynamism that James can.
Against Southampton, Azpilicueta struggled during parts of the first half to keep pace with Southampton’s attacking duo of Paul Onuachu and Kamaldeen Sulemana. Moreover, in what can only be described as a moment of ill-judgment, it was the Spaniard’s rash challenge on Stuart Armstrong that gave away the free kick from which the only goal of the game was scored. It was a poor performance from Azpilicueta and while it can be argued that poor showings and rash challenges are an inevitable part of the game, what is less forgivable is Potter’s decision to leave James completely out of the team. In doing so, the Englishman effective hamstrung himself and denied the team an opportunity to utilise another attacking dimension with the home side desperately chasing for an equaliser. Considering that James was left out by choice rather than due to a knock from the previous game against Dortmund, Potter’s selection once again opened himself up to further criticism from the fans.
A poorly delivered post-match presser
Potter has made it clear since his first day in charge that he intends to be as honest and forthcoming in his press conferences as is reasonably possible. This in itself is not an issue. However, at a time when the whole team is badly struggling for form and the fans are clearly unconvinced by the football they are witnessing, perhaps Potter would do better than to once again come across as making further excuses for yet another poor showing from his side.
When quizzed on the very vocal criticism from the Chelsea fans post-match, Potter spoke of it being a “tough period” and having “lots of challenges in terms of integrating young players into the Premier League”. When pressed further on sections of the fanbase already calling for him to be sacked, Potter responded by saying that he “do[oesn’t] think they’re right but [he is] not arrogant enough to say their opinion isn’t worth articulating.”
On their own, these are perfectly reasonable responses to have when the team has suffered a defeat. But taken with the context, that is that (1) Chelsea have won just 2 in the last 15, (2) Southampton are without a manager and barely had enough time to prepare a full gameplan for this match, (3) they find themselves 20th with nine losses in their last 10 and (4) have not kept a clean sheet since October, it is understandable that these statements are seen as weak and ineffective from a man whom many have began to question his credibility to carry the team forward.
While it is easy to argue that a manager’s words are perhaps not as significant as some may make them out to be, I posit that Potter’s demenour is important if he wishes to have stronger support from the fanbase. More importantly, Potter’s responses have a direct impact on the players themselves and how they perceive the situation that the club now find themselves in. These are trying times, and Potter simply has to do so much more if he wishes to garner a strong response from his team in the next game. I argue that this starts from something as simple as stating, in no uncertain terms, the seriously falling standards at Chelsea and the need from every player to expect so much more from themselves and each other.