If only a loss against eternal rival Jose Mourinho wasn’t enough, Chelsea were hit right back by Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City on Sunday. The Blues are now five points off the Champions League spots and face Barcelona in the second leg of the CL Round of 16.
Woof!
Chelsea have been unable to replicate their performances from last season and the blame lies partly upon everyone. As of now, they are looking upon a trophy-less season and potentially out of the Champions League spots too. The board is as ruthless as ever and hence it is difficult to foresee problems at Chelsea currently. Here are three areas where the concern lies for Conte’s men:
Keeping hold of star players
Chelsea’s transfer policy has come under immense scrutiny in recent times, as the Blues have hardly been able to influence or attract excellent talents to Stamford Bridge in recent times. Moreover, they have been complacent too as letting Nemanja Matic go was a huge mistake. Thibaut Courtois’ situation has been shaky too as the Belgian has stated that his heart is at Madrid.
Quite some guts to say that when the player’s current club is going through such a difficult period, eh? Eden Hazard has not been immensely satisfied too as the player has been constantly played as the false 9, which has, in turn, reduced his impact in the games. In fact, the player did not show any kind of acknowledgement to the manager after being taken off against Manchester City and stated his displeasure with the tactics used in the game too.
The striker conundrum
Chelsea made Alvaro Morata a club-record signing in the summer but the Spaniard has been an utter disappointment so far. The Spaniard is taking time to get used to the rigours of the Premier League and has had to sit out of games due to his back issues. Moreover, even when he has been fit, Morata has been made to sit out by Conte in favour of Hazard. Even the Belgian looks off colour while playing as the false 9 and Morata’s situation is extremely delicate at the club currently.
Usually, some other manager would have deployed a tactic to utilize the former Real Madrid man in a better way but confidence issues coupled with lack of trust from the manager has hampered his growth at Chelsea. Olivier Giroud was signed on the transfer deadline day from Arsenal but the French striker too is called upon only in the final fifteen minutes most of the times. Overall, how do you expect to dominate games by playing your best player out of position and leaving two quality strikers on the bench.
Antonio Conte- The Biggest Concern
When the Italian came to Chelsea last season, the effervescent gaffer was met with a great appreciation. He changed the tactics completely and propelled Chelsea to the Premier League title in his debut season in the Premier League. However, as he came to the second season, things have actually not been alright with the board.
Despite being given a decent amount to spend, Conte has been lacklustre with his tactics at times and that has cost Chelsea some valuable points at crucial junctures. His off-field demeanour has been indicative of the current scenario of the club. Conte has ridiculously complained about the lack of transfer budget but blaming that constantly for his poor performances look stupid. The park-the-bus tactic against Manchester City backfired badly and the second leg against Barcelona looks like Conte’s last chance to save his job at London.