Chelsea: Three of their biggest problems this season

Chelsea has had a lackluster start to their season. As expected by many, their young squad hasn't been able to take the Premier League by storm. They started with a 0-4 annihilation at Old Trafford followed by a heartbreaking loss in the UEFA Super Cup Final. Last weekend, Chelsea ended up with a draw against Leicester City.

After a decent preseason, Chelsea seem to have hit a roadblock as they look lost at the moment. Key players like Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi are out injured while players like Marcos Alonso and Pedro look out of form.

Here, we take a look at three of Chelsea's biggest problems that are hindering their success.

No cutting edge in frontline

Chelsea has been unable to find the perfect striker since Diego Costa's departure. Alvaro Morata was touted as the next leader of Chelsea's frontline but things failed to work out for some complicated reasons.

Michy Batshuayi and Olivier Giroud haven't been capable of filling the void either. This season, Frank Lampard has taken the brave decision of handing the No.9 jersey to Tammy Abraham.

Abraham was one of the best players in the Championship last season. Moreover, his work-rate was also pretty high as he was seen continuously involved in the build-up play. As Morata left for Atletico Madrid this summer, Lampard decided to go ahead with Abraham as his lead striker.

Now, the problem with trusting young players is that it can take a while before they settle down. It seems that Abraham is experiencing the same problem to an extent.

While many may disagree, Chelsea were probably the better side in their games against Liverpool and Leicester City. Even against United, Chelsea managed to create some great chances that went abegging. The issue is that most of these chances have been wasted due to irresponsible finishing. At times, Giroud or Abraham have failed to finish tap-ins. Just like last season, Chelsea have an issue upfront and they must resolve it as soon as possible to stand a chance of doing well this season.

The Blues are yet to fill Diego Costa's shoes.

Defensive woes

Antonio Rudiger is still out with an injury

Chelsea are no longer the defensive force they used to be. There was a time when teams were just incapable of penetrating the Chelsea defense. However, in the past couple of seasons, Chelsea's defense has looked pretty clueless at times.

Despite being in control in many matches, the Blues has been caught off guard due to poor organization and strategy. Set-piece defending is one particular area where Chelsea are quite weak.

Last season, Chelsea got beaten on several corners and free-kicks. There were many incidences where Chelsea left players completely unmarked and ended up conceding a goal. Even this season against Leicester, Chelsea gave their lead away as they fell short against a decent header from Wilfred Ndidi.

Chelsea FC v Leicester City - Premier League

Some of these struggles are justified due to David Luiz's sudden departure. Moreover, their senior-most center-back, Antonio Rudiger is also injured.

While the pairing of Andreas Christensen and Kurt Zouma looks strong on paper, their recent performances suggest otherwise. There seems to be a lack of communication among the two as there have been problems in organization.

As Chelsea look to get something out of this season, they have to improve their defense as they have been leaking goals at regular intervals.

Can Andreas Christensen step up to the challenge?

Lack of leadership and experience

Hazard gave th Europa League as a parting gift to the Chelsea faithful.

There is a clear shortage of leadership in the current Chelsea squad. Their talisman Eden Hazard, left them this summer. Moreover, Gary Cahill and David Luiz, two of Chelsea's stalwarts also departed. Now, only Cesar Azpilicueta is the only experienced player with leadership attributes left in the dressing room.

Due to the transfer ban, Chelsea has a squad full of young and inexperienced players. And trusting youth has its fair share of disadvantages. Developing the youth is an intrinsic process and the selection of right leaders is a must.

Chelsea's defensive department has only one true leader and that is Cesar Azpilicueta. Over the past couple of the seasons, his form has dwindled quite a bit and he hasn't really been able to adapt to the fullback role.

At times, he has looked vulnerable on the counter as he isn't able to backtrack quickly anymore. Hence, the backline has often looked volatile and unorganized due to the lack of effective leadership.

Both senior pros Gary Cahill and David Luiz have also departed.

Edited by S Chowdhury