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Chelsea faced a stringent and defensively disciplined West Ham at the London Stadium in a Super Sunday clash in the Premier League. It was a perfect evening for the people of London to watch the two great clubs clash in a fiery London derby. The match ended in a goalless draw.
The match's result was a pure reflection of how both the clubs played out the 90 minutes. Chelsea attacked probably every minute of the game against their fellow Londoners but was extremely poor in their finishing.
While on the other hand, West Ham was defensively very organised. The Hammers did look little uncomfortable during various parts of the game, and it was rightly so as their opponents contained the likes of Hazard and Willian, but they were able to suppress the Blues successfully.
Let's look at some tactical analysis and 5 things we learned from the 0-0 result:
#5 Drop David Luiz, bring on Christensen
It's a fact that David Luiz's second innings with Chelsea is nowhere near his first spell with the Blues. It was hard to replicate his first spell, as he won the UEFA Champions League with Chelsea in 2012 and Europa League in 2013, before leaving for PSG to pursue his future career.
David Luiz was noticeably slow in today's game and struggled particularly against West Ham's attackers Andriy Yarmolenko and Michail Antonio. The same has been the situation for all the past gameweeks when Chelsea has looked dominating on the front, but vulnerable at the back. Defense is not up to the par, what Chelsea boasted, during the Terry-Ivanovic-Cahill-Ashley Cole era.
Antonio Rudiger has been impressive so far, and that leaves Chelsea's reason for vulnerability with Brazilian David Luiz. Young sensation under Antonio Conte, Andreas Christensen has been warming the bench under Maurizio Sarri but showed dominant signs in the Europa League fixture in midweek.
It's high time Sarri starts playing Christensen and Rudiger as the Back Two, and that might finally be the solution to Chelsea's defensive problems.
#4 Give more freedom to Mateo Kovacic on the field
Mateo Kovacic is a beast in the midfield, hands down. The Real Madrid loanee has been exceptional since having been given the first-team role by Maurizio Sarri. It's fascinating to watch him dribble past multiple players in the heart of the midfield, providing opportunities for Willian on the right and Hazard on the left.
It's a pity Chelsea do not have a Buy Clause under the loan agreement for Kovacic with Real Madrid, or else there is no doubt the Croatian would be signed by Sarri next summer. If Hazard is to leave Chelsea for Real Madrid next summer, there has to be an exchange for Kovacic in the deal.
If Chelsea were to win the Premier League this season, there is no doubt Kovacic will be deemed to be one of the signings of the season definitely. He is damn good.
#3 Consider dropping Cesar Azpilicueta
Cesar Azpilicueta has been one of the Premier League's best defenders for past few seasons now, having shone under Mourinho, Guus Hiddink, and Antonio Conte. But the Spaniard has been far from his best under Maurizio Sarri from a defensive point of view.
The La Roja Right back was seen gasping for breath multiple times during the match and was given a hard time by West Ham winger Felipe Anderson on the right wing. During previous matches this season, especially the game against Arsenal, Azpilicueta was totally exposed about his ongoing defensive issues.
Davide Zappacosta is another option for the Right Back role for Maurizio Sarri but would be practically impossible to drop Azpilicueta unless the Spaniard starts showing signs of weakness consistently. Especially as he has been given the captain's armband by the Italian boss.
#2 Stop faking N'Golo Kante as a 'Target Man'
World Cup winner N'Golo Kante has had a change of role in the Chelsea team this season under Maurizio Sarri. Having brought in Jorginho from Napoli, Sarri has fixed the holding midfielder role for the Italian, but dropping Kante is no option after the Frenchman's consistent performances for club and country.
Kante has been shifted to an advanced midfield role, and in a turn of events at the London Stadium on Sunday evening, Kante was also seen as being Chelsea's target man inside the box.
Fans have criticised this tactic of the Italian Boss, as Kante has been robbed of his best position on the field. After Sunday's goalless draw, it's high time Sarri brings back Kante to his normal position while he also accommodates Jorginho in the side. That's going to be a difficult challenge.
#1 Buy an explosive striker in January
Olivier Giroud might be one of the world's best 'Target Man' and Alvaro Morata might be a beast in aerial duels and headers, but let's accept the fact - Both of them aren't explosive strikers who can finish in almost every game consistently. Morata missed a glorious one-on-one sitter against West Ham keeper Fabianski in the 66th minute, which was painful to watch. More painful as the match ended in a goalless draw.
Chelsea desperately seems to miss Diego Costa. It would be Premier League's biggest Nightmare if Chelsea still had Diego Costa playing for them, in addition to the likes of Eden Hazard, Jorginho, Kante, Kovacic, and Willian.
Chelsea needs to do something about the striker situation in January.
