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Chelsea’s winless start to the season continued as the Blues laboured to a 1-1 draw with Leicester City on Sunday. Frank Lampard’s men failed to win for the third consecutive game despite playing at the Stamford Bridge.
The Blues started the game on the front foot and opened the scoring after just seven minutes through the impressive Mason Mount. The young attacker showed great eye for goal as he slotted the ball past Kasper Schmeichel to give Chelsea an early lead.
The London outfit continued to dominate proceedings but were often wasteful when chances came their way. Olivier Giroud, Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount all had half-chances come their way bur failed to convert.
Leicester, though, came out for the second half in better shape and snatched the equaliser through Wilfred Ndidi in the 67th minute. Despite the introduction of Mateo Kovacic and Willian, the Blues were unable to secure a win.
Below, we take a look at 3 reasons why Chelsea drew with Leicester City.
#3 Leicester were too good in the 2nd half
This was a typical game of two halves. While Chelsea dominated the first half, Leicester City turned the tables after the break and were simply unstoppable. The Foxes were pinned in their own half for larger parts of the game but brilliantly made amends in the second half.
In fact, Leicester were too good and could have won the game had they taken their chances. The equaliser from Wilfred Ndidi was commendable, but James Maddison and Jamie Vardy were culpable for missing a glut of chances.
The aforementioned duo put up better performances in the second half, just like their other teammates, but their finishing was poor. Chelsea's 4-0 collapse at Old Trafford last week was down to the team’s lack of concentration in the latter parts of the second half and the same problem was evident against Leicester.
The Blues didn't seem to be able to perform at a high level for 90 minutes and that is what allowed Leicester back into the game. The Foxes were, by far, the better side in the second half and that rightly reflects the result.
Also See : Epl table, Epl fixtures, Epl results
#2 Chelsea couldn’t deal with the speed of the Leicester attack
Chelsea’s transfer ban has been a big blow to the club and the effects are already showing. Three games into the season and it is clear that the Blues are lacking something defensively. The departure of David Luiz has left the defence understaffed, and Lampard is left with very few options to count on.
The defensive paring of Kurt Zouma and Andreas Christensen has proven to be unable to deal with quick forwards, while Cesar Azpilicueta also looks to be past his best. And on Sunday, the Blues’ slow backline was exploited by the Leicester City’s quick attackers.
Ricardo Pereira had a field day on the right flank, while James Maddison and Ayoze Perez ran riot in the second half with their quick counter-attacking play. It almost looked like a mismatch.
This is a problem Lampard must address very quickly if the Blues are to return to winning ways.
#1 Lampard’s poor substitutions
Perhaps Frank Lampard cannot be blamed for Chelsea’s losses to Manchester United and Liverpool in the Premier League and UEFA Super Cup respectively. However, the Blues manager let his side down with his substitutions during the 1-1 draw with Leicester.
The Blues legend failed to make the right changes in the crucial moments of the game. First, he replaced Olivier Giroud with Tammy Abraham even when the Frenchman possesses a better goal threat and is an aerial threat.
And, following Leicester City’s equaliser, Lampard opted to take make like for like substitutions by bringing on Willian and Mateo Kovacic for Pulisic and Jorginho respectively. In a game where Chelsea desperately needed a win, one would have thought that he’d keep Giroud on and bring on another striker to trouble the Leicester defence.
However, Lampard’s substitutions had no effect on the game, with the Foxes continuing to dominate in the second half. The Blues manager let his side down and he must begin to make more influential substitutions if he means to stay in his job for a long time.
