5 reasons for Chelsea's sloppy start to the season

Chelsea has had an appalling start to the seasonEvery football fan is quite surprised and shocked by the way Chelsea has started the current season, with five defeats in all competitions already in 11 games. This is especially so given the fact that Chelsea were impeccable last season, excellent in all areas of the pitch. With the squad not having changed much, one wonders what has gone wrong. Everyone has different theories for this, but we would like to put forward 5 reasons with a slightly different viewpoint.

#1 Disharmony between the defence and midfield

 

The normally impeccable Chelsea defence seems to have no understanding among its members

Last season, Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas shielded the defence while having an excellent understanding with the back four. Matic was the anchorman who would sit in front of the defenders and soak up all the pressure. Before an opponent thought where the next pass would go, Matic was ready to make the interception. Fabregas was adept at winning the ball and releasing the forward players with a killer pass.

But all of a sudden that harmony seems to have disappeared. It seems as though the back four and these two are operating as two different entities altogether. Add to that the fact that teams have understood Chelsea’s defensive strategy and are able to counter it so well. They have managed to exploit Fabregas’ lack of tackling skills while drawing Matic away from where the ball will be played, leaving the two centre backs severely exposed. No matter how good they are, dealing with such an onslaught for 90 minutes is impossible.

Consider the fact that Chelsea conceded only 15 goals in the whole of the 2004-05 campaign under Jose Mourinho, a truly phenomenal achievement. Last season they conceded 32, which is still excellent given the fact that football has become much more open these days.

But in the first seven games of this season, they have already let in 14 goals, at an average of 2 per game. That says all you need to know about the frail Chelsea defence. Some really serious changes in defence are going to be needed in the winter transfer window, the way things are going.