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It's a hat-trick of 0-0's for Chelsea as Antonio Conte's men failed in front of goal once again. The Blues could not break the deadlock despite Leicester City playing with 10 men for over 20 minutes.
The Foxes had a great start to the game but couldn't capitalise on their chances. They had as many as 12 shots in the first half but only one of them was on target. A header by N'didi forced Courtois to be a stunning save but apart from that, none of them seemed to bother the Belgian shot-stopper.
Kasper Schmeichel meanwhile had to pull off a couple of saves to deny Chelsea but overall, it was an easy day between the posts for him too. Here are the 5 talking points from the game:
#5 – Is Hazard's head still in the game?
Eden Hazard is the best player at Chelsea. The Belgian is the one who everyone connected to Chelsea turns to when they are need of a goal.
However, the 27-year-old has not been at his best in the last few games. He has been giving the ball away a lot and has not managed to squeeze the ball through like he used to before.
Today was no different. The Belgian made way too many errors and gave the ball away in promising situations. Are the contract talks making things difficult for him on the pitch? We never know but all Chelsea fans would be hoping that all this is just a small dip in form and he will be back to his best in no time.
#4 – Harry Maguire is just brilliant!
When Leicester City forked out £17 million to sign Harry Maguire from Hull City in the summer, a lot of eyebrows were raised. 6 months in, Manchester City are willing to spend £50 million to sign him.
The Englishman has been a rock at the back and has kept the opponent's striker quiet in almost all the games. Alvaro Morata was his latest victim and the Spaniard might have nightmares about him tonight.
Maguire was confident on the ball and was willing the aerial duels every single time. Even when Leicester City were down to 10 men and the ball was lingering around their penalty box, he was calm and composed on the ball. There were a lot of chances for him to just hoof the ball away but he dribbled past the Chelsea midfield and started the counter-attack from the back.
#3 – Back to 3-4-3?
Antonio Conte loves playing with the 3-5-2 formation but that is clearly not working right now. The manager needs to rethink and get back to the 3-4-3 formation.
This would help the team stabilise right now and provide the manager with more attacking options. Having Pedro or Willian alongside Hazard and Morata would be a better option right now than playing the Belgian and Spaniard upfront.
Cesc Fabregas might have to be sacrificed for this and it would be worth it. The creative midfielder can be a super sub for the team and prove to the game changer on a lot of occasions.
#2 – Mahrez shows his class
Linked with a move away from the club in the summer, Leicester had to fight tooth and nail to keep their star winger. In fact, the Algerian was blocked from joining AS Roma, his prime suitors last summer, and the fans will be glad the Foxes managed to keep hold of him.
Now, with the transfer window open again, it's the best time for the Algerian to leave Leicester City and move to a bigger club. Any club would be more than happy to sign him and it would be the best for him to leave now.
Arsenal need a Sanchez replacement, Manchester United need a right winger and Chelsea need an attacking player. If these clubs don't try and sign Mahrez this window, it would be a huge mistake.
#1 – The need to spend
The game against Leicester City should be the wake-up call for the Chelsea board. The team has been very disappointing in the last few games and they have failed to score more often than.
Eden Hazard and Alvaro Morata have tried a lot but the dip in both their forms is seen clearly on the pitch. Even after Pedro and Willian came on for Hazard and Fabregas, Chelsea could not do much.
The wingers tried a lot but were unable to break through the Leicester City defence. Ross Barkley has been signed but he alone can't do anything. Chelsea need a striker.
Antonio Conte repeatedly hinted that he would love to have Alexis Sanchez in the squad during his pre-match presser. With the Chile international available for just around £30 million, Chelsea should go all out and sign him.
