EPL 2016-17: Chelsea lack leader at the back in the absence of John Terry
One loss, one win and four goals conceded. These are the main stats which have marked John Terry’s absence at the back for Chelsea. The Blues captain has been out for the last two games, having suffered an ankle injury during Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Swansea almost two weeks ago.
Terry has been working hard to aid his recovery as he aims to be in the squad when they face Arsenal on Saturday. And Antonio Conte would hope this match doesn’t come too soon for the skipper, as his back-line looks a right hodgepodge bereft of the veteran defender.
Shipping four goals in two games shouldn’t be a huge issue, especially when one considers the manner in which Chelsea fought back to overcome a 2-0 deficit to beat the Premier League champions 4-2 and knock them out of the EFL Cup on Tuesday night, but taking a look at the way those goals were conceded, it certainly calls for concern.
Lack of organisation at the back for the Blues
Let’s go back to that 2-1 loss at home to Liverpool on Friday. Admittedly, there was just nothing they could do to prevent Jordan Henderson from scoring, save a stronger clearance from Gary Cahill, but the way they let that first goal in was inexcusable, and not even for a team of their standards.
Any bunch of defenders would know not to leave four men unmarked in their box, but Chelsea totally switched off, and Gary Cahill gave up a crucial position for no reason at all. The former Bolton man could have easily dealt with Dejan Lovren if he didn’t decide to move up while the ball was on its way.
Against Leicester, the organisation was no better. A string of aberrant passes and poor communication highlighted the first half, and the Blues were duly punished on two occasions by Shinji Okazaki, who capitalised on their errors to give the Foxes a 2-0 lead.
Chelsea’s defenders would repay in goals, with Cahill pulling one back on the stroke of halftime and Cesar Azpilicueta equalising with a scintillating volley early in the second half. Cesc Fabregas, somewhat of an exile under Conte, came to the rescue with two extra-time goals to give the Londoners the win and send them to the fourth round, where they will be facing West Ham.
An impressive comeback, and a dominating second-half performance from the Blues, yet it does little to hide the weaknesses at the back. Chelsea are lacking leadership, and that is a scary thought, when you realise that Terry is probably on his last legs at the club.
No clear successor for Terry at the club
Much has been said about finding a successor, but it’s going to be one of the hardest things Chelsea have ever had to do. No doubt a great defender by any standard, Terry has kept himself at Chelsea with his near-impeccable ability to organise the back line, read danger and bark the correct orders when the need arises – and it so often does.
The dependence on his influence has been apparent these last two games, and no one else seems to have his knack for keeping things in order. Things would have surely been different if Petr Cech was still around. The now-Arsenal goalkeeper was a leader at Chelsea as well, and could often be seen directing defenders.
It’s something you hardly see from Thibaut Courtois. The young Belgian is good at keeping balls out of the goal, but he is far from being any sort of leader at the club.
Cahill for all his experience alongside Terry, doesn’t have it in him either. Besides not being able to control the defensive set-up, the England international is making mistakes himself. His error against Swansea cost Chelsea two points, and although he was clearly fouled by Leroy Fer leading up to the Welsh side’s second goal, he could have definitely been more careful.
Desperate times call for desperate measures
Conte’s desperation with regards to signing a centre-back over the summer was well warranted, and his chase would end on deadline day with the re-signing of David Luiz. The Brazilian is blessed with leadership qualities and is still popular with the Chelsea support, however, he does leave a lot to be desired.
Also read: Does the arrival of David Luiz mean Chelsea will play in Antonio Conte's favoured 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 formation?
To be fair, his first two performances haven’t been that bad. He had a great individual performance against Liverpool and made few mistakes against Leicester – one of which nearly led to Ahmed Musa scoring as he completely misjudged the flight of a long ball. Fortunately, Asmir Begovic was able to make a fingertip save to keep the Nigerian’s shot out.
Luiz’s passing from deep was remarkable, and should have led to at least two goals on the night. But from a defensive standpoint, he certainly needs some work.
Chelsea, meanwhile, need Terry, and it’s about time someone else was groomed in the art of back-line management, or they could experience a great deal of trouble in future.
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