Why Chelsea’s porous defence should worry Frank Lampard ahead of Manchester United clash

After spending over £200 million on transfers before the beginning of the 2020-21 season, very little has changed at Chelsea. In fact, the problems the club faced last season have become even more evident.

The Blues have added a lot of attacking firepower to the first team following the arrivals of Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech. However, their uninspiring defence still requires upgrading.

The only center-back the club have signed is Thiago Silva, a 36-year-old who’s almost past his best, to complement the likes of Kurt Zouma, Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger.

While Ben Chilwell has so far proved to be a good purchase, Chelsea’s defence is still very much nothing to write home about. Frank Lampard’s side is going nowhere this season unless their defensive frailties are addressed.

The Blues drew 3-3 with Southampton last week after racing into a 2-0 lead.

Last week, the Blues squandered the lead twice against Southampton, eventually drawing 3-3 in a game which they should have easily won.

As they travel to Manchester United on Saturday, Frank Lampard will have a lot to worry about. United themselves are not that compact at the back, but they showed against PSG in the Champions League, that their attack can consistently produce the goods.

Anthony Martial may be missing the game against Chelsea due to suspension. However, irrespective of whether it is Edinson Cavani or Marcus Rashford that leads the line against Chelsea, the Reds are bound to be dangerous in attack.

"This is a problem we have to fix collectively and individually. Sometimes you can get away with it, but you cannot rely on having to score three goals in every game,” Blues captain Cesar Azpilecueta said after the 3-3 draw with Southampton, as quoted by Goal.

"When we are defensively weak, we feel like we have to score three or four goals every game. As a defender, I feel bad when you concede so many goals. We have to improve our personal mistakes and collectively take better decisions," added Azpilecueta.

Chelsea have kept one clean sheet away from home in the Premier League since Frank Lampard took charge.He might even be tempted to start Petr Čech. 🙃 https://t.co/HjWyX3n3Wh

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) October 20, 2020

Chelsea conceded 54 goals last season, the most they have conceded since Roman Abramovich purchased the club in 2003. This season, the Blues have already conceded nine goals in just four Premier League games and 10 in all competitions.

With tougher fixtures coming up in the next few weeks, coupled with Champions League football, Chelsea must solve their defensive issues or may soon find themselves lagging behind both their domestic and European rivals. The clash against Manchester United on Saturday will be a real test for Lampard and his team.