Frank Lampard’s Chelsea have failed to impress too many this season till now. They now have only a point after two league games, having managed just a draw against Leicester City this weekend. They were left wanting defensively in both those games, and this has drawn criticism from pundits and fans alike.
Former Scottish international Steve Nicol had a lot of harsh words to say about The Blues. Speaking to ESPN FC’s show for YouTube, the 57-year old said,
“For 20 minutes they looked as if they were going to score every time they went forward. And for the next 70 they looked as though they had absolutely no idea where the goal was, never mind the back of the net. “No if you’re going to do that going forward, at the very least, you have to be strong at the back and we’ve spoken about it how open they are at the back. That is the worst combination you can have.
I’ll tell you Chelsea are in for a long long time between now and [end of the season]. “I mean can they buy players in Christmas? Because they are going to have to. I’ll tell you something, this is going to be the longest year ever [for Chelsea],” he added.
Why The Criticism?
Antonio Rudiger’s absence has certainly effected their chances but Chelsea have now shipped seven goals in their first three games, and have been anything but solid at the back.
Rarely helped by their midfield, Chelsea’s centre-back pairing of Kurt Zouma and Andreas Christensen are yet to show any promise. Both players have lost easy duels regularly, and have far too often exposed Kepa Arrizabalaga, leaving Chelsea’s goal susceptible.
The lack of a natural leader was evident in each of those games. Lampard allowed David Luiz to quit the club and also lost Gary Cahill in the summer. That is a lot of experience that has not been replaced, which is a part of the problem.
The transfer ban has not helped their cause but Chelsea had the opportunity to hold onto the Brazilian, an opportunity that they will now rue missing.
Cesar Azpilicueta needs to put in more effort to organize his backline but Chelsea can certainly do with a more vocal presence at the back and need to find someone to do the job quickly if they are to save their Premier League campaign.
Is Nicol Spot On?
Chelsea are imposed with a transfer ban for two windows, leaving them without a chance to sign a player even in January. They did appeal the sentence but cannot ignore the frailties in the squad, hoping to sign players later in the season.
Currently, only Rudiger will join the picture for Lampard. The former AS Roma man was solid at the back last season but in a different system. He is not a player who will immediately transform the entire backline, leaving Chelsea with very few options to solve this issue.
Making the squad more organized and finding the right formation against particular opponents will be crucial for Lampard. But like Nicol later claimed in that interview, Lampard needs a player who can transfer his plans from the training ground to the actual game, a player they are sorely missing at the moment.
So unless Lampard changes his entire approach, this could indeed feel like a long season for the Chelsea faithful.
