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The defending champions suffered a massive defeat at the hands of champions-elect, Manchester City. Bernardo Silva’s 46th-minute goal proved to be the difference between the sides.
However, the scoreline of 1-0 doesn’t quite suggest the flow of proceedings at the Etihad Stadium. The Cityzens flew out of the blocks, charged forward in numbers and knocked at the Chelsea back line constantly. Chelsea hardly got going and as a result, failed to register a shot on target.
In contrast to Manchester City’s 975 completed passes, Chelsea managed to thread only 392 of them together. In terms of creativity, Antonio Conte’s men were non-existent. They were forced to keep clearing their lines, and City’s high press ensured that the Blues didn’t keep the ball for too long.
The likes of Cesc Fabregas and Danny Drinkwater were kept under wraps, which resulted in Eden Hazard’s isolation. The number 9 role choked him for space and killed his creativity. Despite having conceded, there seemed to be a lack of urgency about the away side's style of play and for obvious reasons, City continued to create chances and outclass the Blues in every department. It almost looked like they were happy to sit back and allow City to dictate them.
Many would argue that the Italian mastermind's shot-shy tactics were bizarre as far as a team of Chelsea's quality is concerned.
Here are five concerns for Chelsea fans at the moment;
#1 Poor team selection.
This has been happening for quite some time now. Uncharacteristically, Conte hasn’t been picking the right starting XI for crucial clashes. For a manager who is considered to be one of the best in handling players and selecting the right bunch of them, this was very prosaic.
Accepting to the media, Conte stated that he made a mistake by fielding Tiemoue Bakayoko in midfield against Watford, a game where they got mauled 4-1 by the Hornets. The Frenchman has faced tons of criticism regarding his defensive presence, lack of composure with the ball and laziness on the pitch.
Against Eddie Howe’s team too, the Italian opted for Eden Hazard in the striker’s position again, with Barkley and Pedro on either side of the wings. The wide forwards failed to switch the play, link up with each other or plug in gaps.
Most importantly, it killed the essence of Chelsea's midfield, as they vacillated from passing it forward due to the lack of a prominent number nine. Well, this trio based formation can do wonders if the three willingly run in behind each other, rotate themselves accordingly and complement each other. Certainly, that wasn't to be for Eden Hazard and co.
In addition, some of his selected options off the bench have been questionable and dubious. In the clash against the Red Devils, Conte removed Hazard and brought on Pedro in the 73rd minute, thereby exhausting their chances of a victory.
Against Manchester City, he subbed off Willian before Pedro, which was a poor decision as the Spaniard lacked composure and was rather lacklustre. This lack of dominance going forward is certainly going to affect the fans on a whole new level.
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#2 Negative approach more often than not
Another heart breaking pill for the Chelsea fans to take in. The masterful Antonio Conte has faltered with his mindset and often settled for a neutralized, defensive line up. Be it with his current system or approach, he has gone about his tactics vacuously.
If one notices, in the game against Manchester United, they were happy to allow their opponents to hit back at them and as the game went on, they wore out completely. Eden Hazard, who created more chances than the entire United team in the first half, was excellently man marked by Scott McTominay and eventually, outplayed by Jose' tactics.
Previously too, the west Londoners have suffered slow starts against Watford, Bournemouth, Leicester City and Everton. In all the above mentioned games, they struggled to get their passes going and lacked the cutting/penetrative edge. As a result, they dropped points and are currently fighting a strenuous battle for a Champions league spot. Against Manchester City, it was as though they were happy to play second fiddle and accept a thrashing.
The thick of the matter is that these happenings are highly anomalous and unexpected from a side constructed by Antonio Conte.
#3 Under performing players
Apart from the manager’s decisions, lack of support and enthusiasm from fans, the aggressive English media and other off the field permutations, the players are to blame for the string of losses too.
The Blues have been on the wrong end of the result in four of their last five Premier League games and have faced much criticism. Since the turn of the year, they have won four, drawn six and lost five of their matches in all competitions. Their biggest problem lies in the league, as they are five points adrift of the top four.
Starting off with Andreas Christensen – the Dane has made visible errors in each of his last three outings, which proved to be costly for his side. Against Barcelona, his feeble pass proved to be sufficient for the Catalan giants to equalize.
That was Chelsea’s only mistake in the entire game. Next, against Manchester United, he completely lost hold of his marker. Last time out, his failed clearance gifted Manchester City a chance, which eventually turned out to be the winner. Maybe, over reliance is getting the better of the youngster.
Next up on the list is Cesc Fabregas. His performance against the league leaders was awful. The pass master failed to find his range or keep hold of the ball. Take nothing away from City, who pressed him down well. But for someone with his caliber and experience, one expects him to lift the spirits and carry the side when they need him most.
Despite having been an acclaimed starter in the side for much of this season, he will have to fight for his place right now due to the array of poor displays.
Pedro too, is completely out of sync as the Spaniard failed to create any chance or complete the simplest of passes versus Manchester City. At the back, Marcos Alonso’s form has sunk. Neither is he adding the killer instinct going forward at the moment, nor is he formidable at the back. Against Manchester City, he was caught ball watching when the cross came in for Bernardo Silva.
#4 Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois' unlikely contracts
Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois have been linked to moves away from Stamford Bridge. The Belgian duo have been prolific for Chelsea but if their team fails to grab a Champions league spot, they could well be on their way out.
The pair have been a dominant and integral part of the Chelsea line up. While Courtois is in hunt for a second golden glove in as many seasons, Eden Hazard has been the Blues’ top scorer and creator this season. But, anything can happen in football. If the champions can turn it around and finish in the top four, both stars will be in line for a new deal.
At the moment, nothing is more important for the club, fans and the manager than new contracts for these two London based superstars.
#5 Antonio Conte's future
Antonio Conte's future has been a major cause for suspicion since the first game of the season. He has been questioned, accused, pressurized and lambasted by the media. Although he's claimed that he would love to end his career in Italy, the former Juventus boss has stated that he will see out his contract at Chelsea.
To be honest, Conte has lost his energy, charisma and is extremely upset by his inability to control transfers and a few decisions made by the board. Much to the despair of the Blues' faithful, their beloved Antonio hasn't been as animated or accurate with his tactics.
Going by the Chelsea tradition, if he fails to win the FA Cup or secure a victory over Barcelona, there would be no surprises if Roman axes the title winning manager, just like the other want away bosses at the club before him .
In order to keep the blue flag flying high, the entire family at West London, including Conte needs to realize that the entire conjecture is delusional and that all of them must stick together for the final nine games of the season, dig wins out and regain their lost chances of glory for this 2017-18 season.
