Archive for September, 2012

David Luiz as Defensive Midfielder?

He is one of the most recognisable players in the Premier League, as well as one of the most expensive defenders in Europe, but could David Luiz be played as a midfielder, rather than as a centre back?

I think that he could be, and I also think that it could be good for Chelsea to deploy him there. Why would he be able to play the position? He is very comfortable on the ball, as well as having a very good view of passes downfield. Plus, he is also good at driving forward with the ball at his feet, much in the style of his predecessor as John Terry’s centre back partner: Ricardo Carvalho. He is a good passer of the ball, as well as being excellent in the air and can play with some physicality.

Why would this be good for Chelsea? Firstly, the defensive midfield options in the squad are quite thin, with Mikel, Lampard, Ramires and Romeu being the resources RDM has to work with. Adding Luiz to this would give a little more flexibility, as well as making it possible to have a player there with some mobility when Ramires isn’t selected (although I think that Romeu’s athleticism is much better than expected). I think that for the team, Luiz’s style of play would be safer as a defensive midfielder. He often reads the opponents’ passes and attempts to make interceptions, rather than waiting for players to receive the ball then tackle them. When it works, it can change the momentum and put the team on the front foot, but when it goes wrong, it can put the team into a hole, and usually this means John Terry, who isn’t the fastest, having to cover.

Instead of trying to curtail the attempts to win the ball back, why not encourage them, but further up the field. Then, if Luiz does go for the ball and miss, there is cover for him in the form of Terry and Cahill. This would not remove any risk, especially since there would need to be some positional discipline learnt, but I believe that there would be more upside to having the cover behind the Brazilian. Also, given how much smaller Chelsea are this season compared to last, having Luiz in midfield next to Mikel or Romeu would mean that Cahill comes into the defence, giving a deal more size and arial presence at set pieces.

Luiz is an excellent defender, but he is also an excellent all-round football player (who crosses the ball by bicycle-kicking it from the corner flag), so why not make the most of the things that make him such a good player, even if this means playing him in a slightly different position.

2012
09/30
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Do Chelsea Need a New Striker?

Fernando Torres has scored 5 goals so far this season in 10 matches, as well as a couple of assists. He has worked hard to chase and hassle opposing defenders in possession, and looked to link up with his midfield support when he gets the ball.

And yet, there are still concerns about the Chelsea number 9. There are times this season where he has looked nowhere near the player who tormented defenders a few years ago – especially the several times where he turned Nemanja Vidic around so many times the Serb needed to be unscrewed from the pitch afterwards.

Torres and Bertrand at the Emirates vs Arsenal

The new Chelsea system is very much built around getting Torres opportunities to score. After witnessing many of his struggles first hand over the last 2 seasons, especially when playing as the central forward in a 4-3-3 system, I think that he now has the best opportunity of his Chelsea career. It was clear that he could not work as a like-for-like Drogba replacement in the same system, given the differences in style between him and the Ivorian. The times when Torres was at his best it was when he was hanging on the shoulder of the last defender, not having to hold the ball up, just to play short passes back to Mata then look to get towards goal.

Now that Drogba is in China, Lukaku is out on loan at West Brom and Daniel Sturridge hasn’t featured regularly, Torres is clearly the main Chelsea forward. Playing in the 4-2-3-1 system ought to mean that he can focus on getting himself into position to test opposing goalkeepers.

The problem is, so far, this hasn’t really been the case very often. Too often Torres has been running at defenders well outside of the area and either tried to dribble past too many players, missed passes to better placed teammates or simply failing to get past people with any speed. He has been at his best near the edge of the penalty area – his goals against Newcastle and Arsenal, and assist against Wolves in the League Cup are examples of this. For much of the rest of these games though, Torres looked a little slow and off the pace – and at times seems to be trying too hard to do something special, rather than doing the simple things well and getting himself back into rhythm.

Is it a case of him being out of form, needing a proper offseason rest or not being the force that he was a few years ago? These are questions that I think Di Matteo and the Chelsea hierarchy need to find answers to, because at the moment, he is not firing on anything near all cylinders  I would like to see Sturridge get some more opportunities once he returns from injury, but also see Chelsea play in a way that allows Torres to focus on making chances and getting shots on goal, rather than either playing back to goal or having to hold off defenders 40 yards from goal.

I think that more depth is needed, and I have been watching West Brom with interest to see how Lukaku has been getting on now that he has chances to play regularly. There have been rumours of Falcao arriving in January for £45million as well, and while he is an exciting player who would be a very good addition to the squad, it would also show that the Chelsea management have very little faith in Torres.

Do you think the Blues need a new forward, or is Torres the right option but out of form? Let me know in the comments.

2012
09/30
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Match Report: Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea

Juan Mata and Petr Cech were the standout performers as Chelsea won a highly entertaining London derby to stay top of the Barclays Premier League.

Going into the game, Arsenal were the clear favourites, given their recent good home form, Chelsea’s bad away form and a real improvement in the Arsenal defence. Wenger also commented that a lack of Didier Drogba would be a relief to his team. Instead, Chelsea selected an attacking line up, with Oscar, Hazard and Mata all starting behind Torres.

For much of the first half, Chelsea were the better team, with plenty of movement, passing and attacking intent. This did not translate to many chances on goal however, with Vito Mannone (again playing for the injured Szczesny) rarely being tested. Arsenal’s midfield was weakened further by an injury to Abou Diaby after twenty minutes, spoiling his good start to this season.

It was not long after this that Chelsea took the lead. A freekick by Mata turned in at the far post by Torres, despite Koscielny being between him and the ball. It was an excellent finish by the Spaniard (scoring his 75th Premier League goal), but questions will be asked how he managed to evade his marker, as well as how David Luiz had been given an open header, with the ball going just over his head to reach Torres.

For much of the half, Chelsea had held the Arsenal attack to long range shots from outside of the area, with them being fired over or wide of the goal. Much of the threat came down the Arsenal right, where Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (on for the injured Diaby) and Carl Jenkinson worked to overload Ashley Cole and Eden Hazard. It was from here that the equaliser came shortly before half time. Oxlade-Chamberlain’s low cross was turned in powerfully by Gervinho from 8 yards out, with the Chelsea centre-backs having retreated too far to put him under any pressure. This gave the home team, and quiet home fans a lift for the remaining minutes of the half, and it was Chelsea who were more glad to hear the half time whistle.

Santi Cazorla prepares to take a first half corner

After the break, Arsenal were given a deal more of the ball, but were still not able to carve out too many clear opportunities. The Chelsea defence held firm enough to keep them to more of the long range shooting that had been so ineffective in the first half. Much of the Chelsea response involved long balls upfield to Torres, and its from here that the winning goal came, after a Vermaelen foul. Mata then curled the free kick towards the far post, and a combination of a slight deflection off the shin of Koscielny and a late reaction from Mannone saw the ball end up in the bottom corner.

Torres and Bertrand

With the goal scored in the 52nd minutes, Arsenal still had plenty of time to get back in the game. It was at this point that they ran into an inspired second half from Petr Cech, who first saved at full stretch from Podolski then a reflex save from a deflected shot by substitute Olivier Giroud, who also spurned a chance to break his Premier League duck when he rounded Cech and fired wide of goal.

The Blues were able to keep up the tempo of their play, and as Arsenal became more and more frustrated the Chelsea fans reminded their hosts of how long it has been since Arsenal won silverware. While they have been better this season, it will be interesting to see if either of these two clubs will challenge for any at the end of the year.

John Terry hands his boots to a fan after the final whistle

Arsenal: Mannone, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Jenkinson, Gibbs, Diaby (Oxlade-Chamberlain), Arteta, Ramsey (Walcott), Cazorla, Podolski (Giroud), Gervinho. Unsused Subs: Martinez, Mertesacker, Santos, Djourou

Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Terry, Luiz (Cahill), Cole, Ramires, Mikel, Oscar (Moses), Hazard, Mata (Bertrand), Torres. Unused Subs: Turnbull, Azpilicueta, Romeu, Lampard.

2012
09/29
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Six Scorers, No Cards, No Problem

Chelsea 6-0 Wolves

Chelsea cruised into the fourth round of the Capital One Cup as they dominated a poor Wolves side at Stamford Bridge. There were three goals after 16 minutes, six different scorers by the end of the night, and some encouraging debuts from more of the summer signings.

It isn’t often that visiting teams come to the Bridge and allow Chelsea time and space to play in the final third of the pitch. It is even less often that teams who do this succeed in getting anything from the game, and tonight was not one of those nights. A Wolves team shorn of almost all of their regular players did not give a Chelsea team including Mata, Torres, Ramires and Moses (on full debut) any real trouble, but did give them 62% possession.

It began with a Gary Cahill header after only 3 minutes. It was not until Ryan Bertrand had added a second from the edge of the area, following excellent work by another debutant, Lucas Piazon, that Wolves really had any time with the ball at their feet. By this point, the game had the feeling of a training session, where the Chelsea players could try things and play around with new ideas, rather than seeming all that concerned with their opponents. The big guns left on the bench were clearly not going to be needed to rescue anything.

It seemed that the idea of playing Torres from the start against a significantly inferior defence was one meant to help the striker’s clear lack of form, but for much of the first half, it didn’t seem to work – while he combined well with others occasionally, when he had to take on players himself he too often either ran into more trouble than he could handle, or wasn’t able to burst past defenders to set up his own chances. His best touch came in the creation of Chelsea’s third goal, playing a delicate chip through for Juan Mata to finish. This was after 17minutes of play.

While Torres was not at his best today, I was very impressed by two debutants, Cesar Azpilicueta, signed from Marseille over the summer and Piazon, who was Chelsea Young Player of the Season last year but making his senior bow tonight. The young Spanish right back will be an excellent back-up for Branislav Ivanovic, as he looked strong defensively, as well as a constant outlet going forward and put in some excellent crosses. If he and Bertrand continue their development, then Chelsea may be well set for full backs for the next decade.

Piazon, starting out on the left wing, was involved in much of  the attacking Chelsea moves, as well as hassling and chasing opponents in possession. He is another of the young attacking players in the squad who deserves more chances in the Premier League – depending on signings in January, he could be an excellent loan option.

Similarly, Oriol Romeu deserves more opportunity against better opposition in the deep midfield role. He is much more mobile than Mikel, and it is noticeable that his first instinct is to move the ball on to a teammate, rather than occasionally hold possession as the Nigerian is prone to do, even when he ought not to. Romeu also dispatched the penalty for the 4th goal with calmness and control, and a fair amount of power, following De Vries bringing down Moses in the area. It was the young Spaniard’s first goal for Chelsea.

One player who did not have a game to remember, and was removed from proceedings at half time was Stephen Hunt. Still hugely unpopular at the Bridge following his clash with Petr Cech that left the keeper with a depressed skull fracture, he did nothing to quieten the home crowd tonight, and seemed much more proficient passing the ball to a blue shirt than to a teammate. His withdrawal from proceedings was met with hearty cheers from the 32,000 fans in attendance.

The change did little to alter the flow of the game though, and Chelsea soon had a fifth goal, a free header by Torres from a corner, after a breakdown of the Wolves zonal marking system – and another example after the weekend of how often this system can be beaten.

Chelsea also made changes, with Ramires, Mata and Torres off during the second half, replaced by Oscar, Marin (another debut) and Hazard respectively. The diminutive German, who looks small even among the Chelsea forwards, was involved almost as soon as he came on in creating the final goal, with a run across the outside of the box and a pass through to Oscar, who chipped to an open Moses for a simple header. Another summer buy very much in the mould of the new Chelsea attack – small, fast, versatile and technically excellent. It will be interesting to see not only his role, but his development as well.

When Oscar came on, he played in the deeper midfield position that Ramires has been operating in, and I think that this will be something we shall see much more often from Di Matteo, since it allows a much more expansive passing game than our other deep options, while also meaning that there can be attacking runs from the position – as if there was a 5-year younger Lampard in the position. This gave Wolves even more to think about, and played a part in the final goal.

The visitors did have a couple of chances though – Davis had a distance shot touched over by Ross Turnbull, Peszko ought to have done better when he broke through the Chelsea line and rounded the keeper before putting his shot into the side netting and also side-footed wide in the second half while under little pressure right in the middle of the Chelsea area. These were brief moments of good play, often on the break, and while they may have affected the run of the game, given the difference between the sides, it may not have altered the final result. It was also notable that not a single card was issued during the game, though with the early goals, much of the intensity was drawn out of the contest, and there were no challenges that warranted cards of either colour.

Chelsea: Turnbull, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Terry, Bertrand, Ramires (Oscar), Romeu, Moses, Mata (Marin), Piazon, Torres (Hazard). Unused Subs: Hilario, Luiz, Ferreira, Mikel

Wolves: De Vries, Stearman, Zubar, Batth, Margreitter, Edwards, Peszko (Ismail), Hunt (Forde), Boukhari (Nouble), Davis, Sigurdarson. Unused Subs: Ikeme, Foley, Jonsson, Price

2012
09/26
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Inaccurate Flair vs Organised Dullness: Pick Your Style and Stick To It

Chelsea 1:0 Stoke (Saturday, 22nd September)

I think I am starting to understand how the Arsenal fans feel. Not on the failing to win anything for years front, but on the constant frustration at players who seem unwilling to shoot. Todays match against Stoke was an excellent demonstration of how Chelsea are trying to change their way of playing, but it also showed how far the team still has to come in order to really have arrived at a fully functioning post-Drogba system.
The starting line up of Mikel and Ramires deep, with Oscar, Hazard and Mata just behind Torres certainly hinted at attacking speed, movement and also more mobile support from midfield – I don’t think it is a big shock to anyone that Ramires covers ground faster than Frank Lampard, and also that he was wasted out on the right wing. Coming up against a typically organised and solid Stoke team, it seemed that the plan was to try and move both ball and players faster than their defence would be able to track. When faced with a team as defensive and solid as this Stoke team (for whom this was their first  league defeat of the season), this tactic didn’t seem to work.
I think this is down to the narrowness of the attack. Chelsea do not play with real wingers in their attacking midfield 3. They switch positions with comfort and regularity, but are not wingers in the truest sense – compared to Victor Moses, for instance, who added wing play when he came off the bench. This means that the width needs to be provided by Cole and Ivanovic overlapping, and drawing the Stoke fullbacks out of the side of the penalty areas, and then either laying the ball back inside to a forward in greater space, or attacking the byline. Here, however, both fullbacks either cut inside with the ball, or hung back, allowing Stoke to at times outnumber the Chelsea forward quartet 2-to-1, and crowd out any hope of the slick interplay we had been expecting to see. This also meant that for almost the entirety of the game, the Stoke defenders could hold on the edge of the penalty area, facing away from their own goal, since there was no chance of them being turned. For the goal, there is finally some width added, and a ball played through that forced the centre-backs to face their own goal, and while helped by another excellent little touch from Mata, I think it was the width of Moses and Ivanovic down the right that finally unlocked the Stoke defence.
This isn’t to say that Stoke didn’t have chances – they had almost as many chances on target (6 to Chelsea’s 9), and hit the woodwork. They might not be the most attractive side to watch, but they are effective in what they do – get the ball forward towards Crouch, look for either the knock down or draw the foul, then send forward the height and take on your opponents from set pieces. This is why Charlie Adam won’t have to do too much adapting to fit into the Stoke style of play: get the ball forward and then support is his main game already, along with a fine line in niggling fouls (Sorry, ‘robust challenges’). They are a more expansive team than they were when they entered the Premier League, but there is still a solidity and toughness to Stoke that won’t be going away any time soon, and while it is frustrating to play against, it does take a lot of work to get past, especially if your team is not playing precise, controlled and high tempo football, which for swathes of todays match, Chelsea aspired to rather than actually achieving.
That being said, there is the root of something entertaining growing at Stamford Bridge. For a first outing of this attacking group together, there were positives and plenty of connections. The next step is to bring Torres into the game more, as well as find a way of adding more variety to the ways in which they can attack you – and this is an area where I believe Sturridge, Moses and Marin will be able to contribute with more direct running at defenders, as well as adding pace and width. Then all we need to do is worry about the goals.
2012
09/22
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