Chelsea’s dramatic win over Tottenham Hotspur last weekend propelled them up to second spot in the Premier League table, just four points behind Liverpool. While the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal navigate some difficulties, could the Blues be the ones to challenge the Reds for the title?
By Neel Shelat
Chelsea have had quite an eventful couple of years. Despite spending billions of Euros under new ownership, they spent the majority of the last two seasons in the bottom half of the Premier League table and barely ever got close to the top four.
Things did not look to be changing this summer either. The Blues spent close to €250 million on transfer fees alone to sign 11 players, adding to an already-bloated squad. As a result, they were forced to make some questionable sales like regular captain Conor Gallagher’s move to Atlético Madrid and also the scramble to send Raheem Sterling out on loan to Arsenal on deadline day.
They also made a coaching change in the summer, bringing in Enzo Maresca after he led Leicester City to promotion from the Championship. There were questions asked at the time about whether a coach with no prior top-flight experience would be the right person to lead such an unstable club, but he has emphatically proven the doubters wrong so far.
Chelsea are not only in the top four right now, but they are the closest challengers to Liverpool, at least as far as the table is concerned. Naturally, there has been a lot of talk of the Blues being potential title contenders this season, but they might yet have some way to go before reaching that level.
Free-flowing attack
Chelsea’s attack has unquestionably been excellent so far this season. They are the top scorers in the Premier League right now with 35 goals in 15 matches and can boast of the highest xG tally to boot.
Once again, star attacker Cole Palmer has been the key to the Blues’ success. After registering 33 goal involvements in the league last season, he is currently among the top three players in the division, both in terms of goals and assists.
Palmer thrived in a pretty free role given to him by previous head coach Mauricio Pochettino, which Maresca has looked to replicate as best as possible in his more structured system. Lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation on paper, Chelsea move into a 3-2-2-3 attacking structure on the ball as one full-back stays deep to form a back three, the other inverts into midfield and the wingers stay fully high and wide. Depending on which full-back advances, Palmer drifts across to the opposite side as one of two effective attacking midfielders. In that position, he has the freedom to drift around or drop back in the half-space.
The young Englishman has done an excellent job of making the most of this freedom. He likes to receive the ball in the most dangerous positions possible, from where he can utilise his excellent carrying ability to get forward before posing a multifaceted threat in and around the box. In this role, Palmer very much is the glue in Chelsea’s attack as he does an exceptional job of connecting the side and linking up with his teammates besides having the ability to make a telling impact all by himself.
Chelsea have struck a happy balance in their style of play which has helped them get the most out of Palmer and the other attackers. Although Maresca liked to control possession as far as possible at Leicester, he realised the pitfalls of going too far in this direction at Stamford Bridge. So, while his side do try to build out from the back to a large extent, their attacking approach is heavily reliant on transitions.
Interestingly, the Blues have managed to generate a lot of transitions from build-up situations. Right from goalkeeper Robert Sánchez, they do not have the best ball players at the back. This lures opponents into pressing them high up the pitch in order to try and win the ball back in dangerous positions, which is precisely what Tottenham did this weekend. Indeed, Chelsea can end up conceding some risky turnovers in their build-up, but the tradeoff is worth it since their attack can be absolutely deadly in transition.
Besides Palmer, striker Nicholas Jackson also thrives with space in behind, while wingers Pedro Neto and Noni Madueke also enjoy isolating and taking on defenders in transitional situations. It should be no surprise, then, that some of Chelsea’s very best attacking performances came in such open games.
On the flip side, this does mean that Chelsea may face some difficulties when opponents adapt to their approach and start defending deep instead. In fact, the Blues have had a significant majority of possession in five of the seven Premier League matches in which they have scored less than two goals, so others will surely start noticing this pattern soon.
Defensive deficiencies
Regardless of how well Chelsea’s attack fares against more disciplined defences, their defence might be the biggest holdback. In fact, they have overperformed the most in this respect relative to expected points.
The Blues’ defence has issues in various aspects. For one, their defensive block simply is not solid enough with weaknesses both in terms of personnel and coordination. As a result, they are nowhere near the top teams in terms of xG conceded.
Chelsea’s attacking approach also backfires to an extent in this respect, as their expansive structure in the opposition half leaves them susceptible to counterattacks. It also limits their ability to control matches with possession, making it much more difficult for them to see out a win after taking the lead. Even when the scoreline is in their favour, the best approach for the Blues remains trying to outscore their opponents. That is why they have already been involved in so many goalfests this season.
There does not appear to be a quick fix for these issues, and they may only be exacerbated if opponents manage to better stifle their attack. So, even though recent results have been quite impressive, it is perhaps too soon to consider Chelsea serious Premier League title contenders.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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