Once again on Saturday, Chelsea’s defensive frailties came under the spotlight once again in the 3-3 draw with Southampton.
While the Blues were electric going forward at times, especially in the first half, at the back their issues were highlight.
There were a couple of things it came down to, the first being individual mistakes, which have haunted the Blues throughout Frank Lampard’s reign.
However, the second was shape and in the middle of the park there was a real lack of control in the game by N’Golo Kante and Jorginho.
Surprisingly, Mateo Kovacic was not part of the matchday squad, however was training with the team after the match.
There might be a temptation from Lampard to shift the formation, however the Blues boss stated after the game that he is still keen on the 4-2-3-1.
“I don’t think it is conceding goals due to the shape of the team,” Lampard claimed.
“Of course we have changed the shape and I have to make those decisions with the personnel we have and getting the best out of them.
“That is something I have to think about, but it doesn’t mean I am dead set on sticking with that formation and there can be changes and tweaks to it as we go along.
“It’s something we need to continue working on. It is a change. Change needs work on the training ground, we haven’t had much of that so sometimes the work in progress is in games and today there were loads of great things from the 4-2-3-1, particularly in the first half.
“In the second half I wouldn’t blame the shape of the team, more that we didn’t deal with the fact that Southampton were really keen to put us under pressure in their own half.
“We wanted to miss out their press, we didn’t do enough and that meant we turned the ball over in our own half, which irrespective of shape is always a problem.”
It is that last bit which Kovacic will be able to help sort, with his ability on the ball.
The Croatian is one of the best in the Premier League with the ball at his feet in midfield, driving through the heart of the opposition.
While it is not a massive defensive change at the back, it’s a change which could certainly alleviate pressure on the backline.
If there is to be the 4-2-3-1 formation and Kovacic comes in, then it’s likely Kante would partner him in midfield, with Jorginho dropping to the bench.
Chelsea take on Sevilla tomorrow night in a massive start to their Champions League campaign, and the Blues can’t have another defensive collapse if they want to get off to a winning start.
