What have we learned about the Blues in the month of October? At a high-level, there has been a lot to be pleased about, particularly from a defensive perspective. The below outlines the key themes arising from Chelsea’s performances in October 2020 and looks at the road ahead in November.
Introduction
While this is intended to capture a monthly snapshot of Chelsea’s key themes in October, this piece does not include the observations gathered from their match against Crystal Palace on 3rd October before the international break as this was covered in the September edition.
To recap, the Blues have had the following results:
- October 18 – Chelsea 3-3 Southampton
- October 21 – Chelsea 0-0 Sevilla
- October 25 – Manchester United 0-0 Chelsea
- October 29 – Krasnodar 0-4 Chelsea
- October 31 – Burnley 0-3 Chelsea
As is illustrated above, aside from the disappointment against Southampton, particularly given we were up 2-0 and 3-2 respectively, there’s been a real focus on sharpening Chelsea’s defence. Four straight clean sheets is an emphatic response and credit must be given to Frank and the players for quickly turning this around in such a short space of time.
Having said that, amongst all the optimism, there were shades of doubt sprinkled in the Blues’ performances, particularly during the first few games since the international break. While Chelsea ensure they tightened things at the back following the Saints debacle, it seemingly came at the expense of controlling possession and playing with purpose. In other words, two uninspiring 0-0 draws against Sevilla and Manchester United respectively raised a few eyebrows amongst the collective Chelsea community as the dial was tweaked too far in the sense of prioritising defensive resilience over genuinely attempting to win these two clashes. That being said, the context was that the Blues were facing two considerably strong opponents and did not want to risk being too expansive, especially as they had their defensive issues still lingering.
So without further ado, let’s delve into the key themes of Chelsea’s performances during this period.
1. Defence, we have one!
One of the most common and alarming key themes associated with Chelsea over the past season and a bit has been the fragility of their defence. For all of the high-profile headline signings that arrived at Cobham, arguably the most impressive ones at this stage appear to be the defensive ones.
The seasoned campaigner and inspirational centre back Thiago Silva, young England international and former Leicester City left back Ben Chilwell, and new shot-stopper Edouard Mendy have been sensational for Chelsea. Together, these three have helped transform the Blues defence from being cagey and vulnerable to confident and resilient.
The unofficial saying goes ‘defence wins titles’. Well if that is to be believed, four consecutive clean sheets is a positive sign that the Blues could be onto something special this season. In trying to keep things measured and not getting too carried away, it’s simply pleasing to see that the Blues have significantly improved their defensive efforts during the month and will need to continue keeping up this momentum as tougher tests await in the coming period.
2. 4-3-3 appears the way forward
A lot like last season, one of the key themes during the month of October has been Frank’s willingness to use a few different formations in order to try and identify the optimal system.
We seemingly preferred the 4-2-3-1 during the earlier stages of the season, possibly as a way of helping the plethora of new faces integrate and ensuring the team wouldn’t be too exposed as a result – hence the more conservative approach. We also reverted to a 3-4-3 against Manchester United during the 0-0 draw. Even though this game wasn’t the most exhilarating, the rationale to set up this way made sense given Frank’s intention to stifle the dangerous counter-attacking abilities of the Red Devils, as well as use the same system that helped us secure a 3-1 victory in last season’s FA Cup semi-final. Unfortunately, the Blues perhaps focused too much on the keeping tight at the back at the expense of their forward play, but ultimately it was a solid point earned against a tough rival at their home ground.
While each of the setups used has had varying degrees of success, our most recent outing against Burnley, which built on the last 20 minutes of the Champions League clash against Krasnodar, has demonstrated that the Blues look the most balanced when operating in a 4-3-3 formation.
Sterner examinations of this apparently preferred formation will be forthcoming, but for now, we seem to have found a winning formula, particularly against low-block teams.
3. Chelsea has squad depth
Frank Lampard recently said ‘..when you play every three days consistently up until Christmas and beyond, then there will be some rotation at times and we will need everybody’.
This season is particularly demanding on the players given the unprecedented fixture congestion due to the covid-19 induced interruption. While Chelsea have a very strong starting XI, there is a strong dependency on being able to rely on the quality and depth of their squad. During October, we have seen Frank try and stick to some combinations so as to build chemistry and understanding, but given the relentless schedule, Frank has not been afraid to rotate and give his squad players an opportunity to impress when called upon e.g. Callum Hudson-Odoi, Antonio Rudiger, Tammy Abraham, Emerson. It will also be interesting to see how Frank handles players such as Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho and Fikayo Tomori.
During this period, it’s been pleasing to see Frank has been able to successfully rely on not just his team, but his squad more broadly. The success or failure of this season will largely be attributed to the value the whole squad can bring, particularly as players face potential fatigue, injuries, and/or suspensions.
4. Ziyech’s creativity will be crucial
The Moroccan Magician, the Wizard of SW6, the man that excites not only Blues fans, but the entire footballing community! Since his long-awaited proper debut for Chelsea after his frustrating injury during pre-season, Hakim Ziyech has been in red-hot form for the Blues.
Two starts, two man-of-the-match performances against Krasnodar and Burnley respectively. Enough said!
Beyond the impressive ‘hard’ stats that say he has scored in both games and also assisted, he brings a stylish swagger and calmness to the Blues attack which is wonderful on the eye. While he doesn’t have the pace of Pulisic or Werner, the physicality of Abraham or Giroud, or the engine of Mount or Kante, he has loads of creativity and confidence. Given his position is to help create chances and provide spark to Chelsea’s offence, his characteristics and talents seem perfectly suited to what the Blues need.
He compliments the other attacking players (rather than being a similar mould), and his willingness to try new things to penetrate the opposition (even though it doesn’t always pay off), shows personality and courage.
Make no mistake, Hakim Ziyech could very well be a pivotal player for the Blues this season.
5. Mason Mount belongs in the middle
Mason Mount. Chelsea’s most polarising player. Depending on who you ask on social media, he is either a player who provides immense value to the team through his indefatigable work-rate and commitment to the cause, or according to another section of the fanbase, he simply does not have what it takes to be a Blue in the long term, or at least not in the starting XI.
While versatility is usually associated as a positive attribute, in Mount’s case it has unfortunately been more of a barrier. Many believe Mount has been a victim of being deployed in a suboptimal position on the wings to allow other members of the team to play in their preferred position, particularly in the 4-2-3-1 formation. Notwithstanding this, it is clear from Frank’s appraisals of Mason that he values his attitude and professionalism during both games and in training, hence why he is more often than not a regular on the team sheet.
Having said this, we have seen that as Frank has gone with the 4-3-3 during the last game against Burnley, Mason playing the midfield trio alongside Havertz and ahead of Kante worked an absolute treat. Mount was outstanding during that game providing strong support and link-up with his team mates up front, but also utilising his seemingly endless energy off the ball to help retrieve possession. Whether or not this midfield combination (as well as formation more broadly) is fit-for-purpose for all fixtures remains to be seen, but what has become pretty evident is that Mason belongs in the middle – not on the wing!
The road ahead (November)
Chelsea kick off November 2020 with an interesting clash against French outfit (and former home of Edouard Mendy), Rennes in matchday 3 of the Champions League . This is then followed up by the international break, and then back-to-back Premier League matches against Sheffield United and Newcastle respectively. The Blues then round off the month with the reverse fixture against Rennes, and then against Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham at Stamford Bridge.
In looking at these matches on paper, a win in the majority of these seems plausible given Chelsea’s recent form. However, it’s also fair to conclude that as the Blues have been up and down this season so far on the whole. Adding this to the unusual environment (i.e. congested fixture schedule), wins simply are not guaranteed, but need to be earned.
If the Blues can replicate and build on from the key themes above and take this into November, it could set them up very nicely heading into the festive period, which is traditionally difficult for Chelsea. However, if this year has shown us anything, it’s that there’s nothing traditional at the minute.
Tune into next month’s edition to see what were the key themes present in Chelsea’s performances during that period, and the road ahead for December.
Written and edited by Ross-John (RJ) Bonaccorsi (@RJ_Goodthings)