Six lessons learnt from Chelsea's draw with Swansea City
Chelsea caused a strong sense of déjà vu in their 2-2 draw to Swansea City. Though greatly different than the draw just over a year ago, several of the same worries resurfaced.
SWANSEA, WALES – SEPTEMBER 11: Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and Gary Cahill (r) fail to stop the second Swansea goal scored by Leroy Fer (not pictured) during the Premier League match between Swansea City and Chelsea at Liberty Stadium on September 11, 2016 in Swansea, Wales. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
After controlling the game for the first 60 minutes, Chelsea simply lost it. The club fell to pieces and would have taken their first loss of the season if not for a phenomenal overhead kick by Diego Costa. It is still early days, but it is a deflating result going into a tough stretch of fixtures which includes Liverpool, Leicester, and Arsenal.
Here are six lessons learned from the first dropped points of the season.
Chelsea Suddenly Have Options
To start on a happier note, the release of the match day squad was rather pleasant. After several seasons of having a guaranteed starting XI, followed by a much less impressive bench, the Blues suddenly have depth. The Blues have so many options, any of the players on the bench could have started. This is a fantastic development stemming from several shrewd signings in the transfer window.
Cesc Fabregas is perhaps the most notable player that can’t find himself starting. He has been a strong substitute, setting up several of Chelsea’s late goals including Diego Costa’s equalizer.
The common theme of substitutes changing the game is a further evolution of the depth. In almost every game this season, Chelsea’s substitutes have contributed to improving the play on the field. This furthers the notion that the substitutes could be starting, which in turn should motivate the starting XI to play to their peak.
Antonio Conte has been extremely conservative with his changes so far, but that is easy to do when the team is winning. After a draw that feels like a loss, some of the talent from the bench will find themselves on the pitch against Liverpool.
SWANSEA, WALES – SEPTEMBER 11: (L-R) Federico Fernandez of Swansea City chases Diego Costa of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Swansea City and Chelsea at The Liberty Stadium on September 11, 2016 in Swansea, Wales. (Photo by Athena Pictures/Getty Images)
A tale of two 2-2’s
Despite a strong team that has been winning being on the field backed by a strong bench, Chelsea could only manage a 2-2 draw. It’s hard not to draw parallels to the 2-2 draw against Swansea that started the terrible 2015/2016 campaign.
Chelsea had the lead, failed to kill the game and found themselves level. Courtois gave away a penalty in almost the exact same fashion. He at least stayed on the pitch this time around. Once again, Chelsea looked absolutely dreadful for the last half hour. If not for Diego Costa’s overhead kick, the Blues would have returned to London with a loss.
More from The Pride of London
Indeed, yesterday’s game was a “greatest hits” reel of Chelsea’s previous two seasons. The first half Chelsea were dominant, much as they were during the 2014/2015 season. Matic, Oscar, Hazard, Willian and Costa were all threatening and Swansea were lucky to be only one down at the break.
The second half was much like Chelsea of 2015/2016. One mistake cost Chelsea the lead, and then the squad were unable to fight their way back.
Hazard suddenly couldn’t make a pass or take a shot. Willian shut off. Matic became a passenger. Oscar became anonymous. Costa grew more and more frustrated, but thankfully found a goal to leave with a point.
Chelsea suffered a worrying drop in the confidence and swagger that Conte had instilled in the team’s first performances. Hopefully they can reclaim the #passion before Chelsea starts spiraling.
SWANSEA, WALES – SEPTEMBER 11: Diego Costa celebrates his goal during the Premier League match between Swansea City and Chelsea at The Liberty Stadium on September 11, 2016 in Swansea, Wales. (photo by Athena Pictures/Getty Images)
This was the classic Diego Costa performance
Many years in the future, when some historian is looking for a performance that perfectly explains Diego Costa’s time at Chelsea, this performance will likely be top of the list. Rarely is there a game that so perfectly captures all of a player’s positives and negatives.
Swansea’s entire game plan seemed to be fairly simply: Foul Diego Costa as much as possible and hope he retaliates enough to get sent off. And so, time and time again, Costa would be tackled and Swansea would evade a yellow card. The more this happened, the more frustrated Diego Costa became, eventually getting a yellow card himself just before half time.
The break did little to cool off either side. Swansea repeatedly fouled Diego Costa and he repeatedly flirted with a second yellow as his frustration grew.
But Costa is Costa. He managed to stay on the pitch and score not one good goal from the edge of the area, but two. His second goal one of his best in a Chelsea shirt. All the while, pundits the world over mentioned how he was lucky to still be on the field and how much he toes the line to frustrate opponents.
The media consistently fail to mention the insane number of fouls on Costa. Yesterday, Swansea City committed 17 fouls and received three yellow cards. Chelsea went nine and four, respectively. This raises the biggest problem with the press making Costa the pantomime villain of the Premier League. They have made it acceptable to do your worst to Diego Costa.
To be fair, there were several instances as the game went on that Diego could have seen red. But, by his usual grace of magic, he stayed on to finish what might be the most Costa like of all his performances.
SWANSEA, WALES – SEPTEMBER 11: Leroy Fer of Swansea City (8) beats goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and Gary Cahill of Chelsea (24) as he scores their second goal during the Premier League match between Swansea City and Chelsea at Liberty Stadium on September 11, 2016 in Swansea, Wales. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Defense still needs work
After finally getting a clean sheet against Burnley, Chelsea looked as though they had solved most of their defensive issues. They had not.
The penalty and the first goal resulted from the defense being absent in front of Thibaut Courtois. The second was a result of Cahill losing his man and Courtois being off his line at the time. Both goals came on top of one another, and the structural breakdown was readily apparent.
With David Luiz’s return and Marco Alonso’s arrival, Antonio Conte’s defensive plans became an unknown. Add the return of Kurt Zouma from injury and it becomes a downright free for all.
None of the defenders earned themselves any credit after this performance, bar perhaps Cesar Azpilicueta. Luiz and Alonso didn’t play because Conte didn’t believe they were ready yet. At least one of them will take the field against Liverpool. With John Terry potentially out with injury, Conte’s decision may get that much easier.
SWANSEA, WALES – SEPTEMBER 11: N’Golo Kante of Chelsea evades Gylfi Sigurdsson of Swansea City during the Premier League match between Swansea City and Chelsea at Liberty Stadium on September 11, 2016 in Swansea, Wales. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Chelsea’s title challenge will hinge on N’Golo Kante
At one point in the first half four Swansea players surrounded N’Golo Kante. Generally, in such a situation, one would believe Kante was marking one of those four. But Kante was marking all four simultaneously, effectively taking out almost half of the Swansea team during the Swans’ attack.
Per his usual, Kante was everywhere in the first half. He single-handedly denied Swansea any pressure on the defense, and he often turned interceptions into immediate counter attacks.
Kante faded in the second half as he was marked more closely by Leroy Fer. Without Kante being able to influence the game, the Swans surged more and more until they eventually scored their two goals.
Swansea’s adjustment showed that they understand Kante’s importance to Chelsea. All of Chelsea’s tactics so far have relied on him, and as soon as he was removed from the game Chelsea began to struggle.
If Kante gets injured or suffers a drop in form, Chelsea would fall right along with him. Antonio Conte must adapt his strategy to keep Kante free to control the midfield if Chelsea are to challenge for the title. If opposing managers figure out how to take Kante out of the game, Chelsea will suffer throughout the season as they did in the second half.
SWANSEA, WALES – SEPTEMBER 11: John Terry of Chelsea reacts during the Premier League match between Swansea City and Chelsea at The Liberty Stadium on September 11, 2016 in Swansea, Wales. (Photo by Athena Pictures/Getty Images)
You learn more from a loss (or a draw that feels like one)
There is an old sporting cliché that says you learn more from a loss (or a draw that feels like a loss) than a win. Chelsea have looked progressively more convincing with each win, but this draw will send the club back down to Earth.
Chelsea’s weaknesses are now apparent to all. The defense cannot allow themselves to get caught in behind. Thibaut Courtois flounders through one-on-ones. Kante’s involvement is vital. Hazard needs to focus on shooting. Willian has to stay involved or be pulled if he fades. Costa can be the biggest contributor as well as a liability. The subs need time to affect the game.
If Chelsea had to drop points, this was perhaps the best time. Chelsea have had an easy start to the season, but can not afford to lose to Liverpool, Leicester City, or Arsenal. It’s better to see where the weaknesses are now so the changes can be made for the important games. Antonio Conte will have a lot to ponder before Liverpool on Friday.
When Chelsea faltered in preseason he switched from a 4-4-2 to the current 4-1-4-1. He may switch back to the 4-4-2 or fast-forward to the 3-4-3. This will be a learning experience for Antonio Conte and the Blues. Hopefully they take the lesson to heart and bring the fans three wins out of the next three fixtures.