In
some respects Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat of Southampton felt somewhat
disappointing. After all, Chelsea battered Southampton with 24 shots and
8 on target – but there was only the one goal to show for it.
If
it had not been for the sterling efforts of Southampton ‘keeper Fraser
Forster it would surely have been a rout. Chelsea had to settle instead
for a 1-0 win courtesy of Marcos Alonso’s free kick on the stroke of
half-time and a nagging fear throughout the match that an equaliser or
worse was always a possibility.
Antonio
Conte has in the past bemoaned his player’s lack of a killer instinct
in front of goal. But, it would be harsh to criticise Chelsea for
wastefulness against Southampton, an accusation that was certainly valid
in the 1-0 defeat to West Ham.
It
appears that Chelsea are faced with something of a conundrum up front
at this season. Alvaro Morata has shown glimpses of goalscoring form and
talent without being completely convincing as a potential 25 goals a
season striker.
Chelsea’s
only other striker in the squad is Michy Batshuayi. Although Batshuayi
has scored nine goals to Morata’s ten this season, the fact that he was
not called upon to fill in for the injured Spaniard against Huddersfield
in midweek reveals his manager’s lack of faith in him.
Against
Huddersfield and also against Southampton, Conte opted for another
option. He selected Willian, Eden Hazard and Pedro as an attacking three
interchanging frequently but using Hazard as a ‘false’ number nine.
It
worked handsomely against Huddersfield in an impressive 3-1 win. It
would be too simplistic to say that it failed against Southampton with
none of the three up front ending up on the scoresheet in this narrow
1-0 win.
There
were times when their movement and interplay was quite simply dazzling.
Unlike the West Ham match where Chelsea’s overplaying resulted in very
little end product; against Southampton frequent chances were created.
More
encouraging was Chelsea player’s enthusiasm for getting a shot off.
N’Golo Kante, Marcos Alonso, Eden Hazard, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Pedro,
Willian and even Gary Cahill were all keen to pull the trigger when in
range. Surely this is preferable to putting in another three passes
outside the penalty area looking for the impossible angle or the perfect
goal.
On
another day they will not be faced with a goalkeeper playing out of his
skin and Chelsea would have scored the goals that their dominance,
build up play and efforts on goal deserved.
As
boss Conte mentioned in the press conference before the match on
Friday, playing Willian, Hazard and Pedro as an attacking three is
potentially a useful strategy to counter teams whose only ambition is to
stop Chelsea playing and keeping the scoreline respectable. With these
three buzzing around the opposition penalty area; all flicks, swerves,
pace and movement they are much harder to mark and close down than the
more traditional ‘target man’ striker.
While
I have a more traditional view and prefer to see a classic number 9
banging in the goals for Chelsea, it is clear that the Blues need to be
adaptable if they are to break down the stubborn sides they face week in
week out in the Premier League.
Conte
has proved in his short time at Chelsea that he is a master of
adaptability; changing formations, personnel and tactics to keep the
Blue juggernaut moving forward.
With
a striker as good as Morata at your disposal, he would surely have to
be your first choice as an attacking option, but based on the evidence
against Huddersfield and Southampton; Willian, Hazard and Pedro up front
can work and certainly give opposition teams plenty to worry about.
While
Conte might complain about the lack of numbers and quality in his
squad, it appears that he may have found another way to get the best out
of his resources.
If
the Premier League proves anything, it is the need to constantly adapt
and revise your tactics to outwit the sheer bloody mindedness of the
majority of the teams you face, all of whom are hell bent on survival.
Thankfully, at Chelsea, we seem to have a manager and a squad of players who can provide a number of options to make this work.
Let’s just hope the opposition goalkeepers don’t perform like Fraser Forster every week.
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