In Defence of Chelsea's Defence

Article by Lee Beevor

The Chelsea defence has taken something of a battering in the media, following its inability to match the astonishing feats of the 2004/05 unit. Whilst statistically, any comparisons are unflattering to the current team, they are pointless as well as unfair. It is always a favourite trick of the press to use examples from the past to highlight the shortfalls of the present. However, such black and white analysis invariably concentrates on a specific that suits their angle, for example, Ricardo Carvalho is better than Gary Cahill. I’m sure even Gary’s Mum would agree with this view, but it is not the sole reason for our lack of clean sheets.

Taking a closer look at the all-conquering side from Jose’s first term of office, it is clear the set-up was completely different than it is today. At the time, Roman Abramovich was desperate for his huge investment to bear fruit and winning was all that mattered to him. In this respect he shared the desire of his coach, the young, swashbuckling European champion from Porto, eager to build on his blossoming reputation. With Jose bringing in two of his trusted lieutenants in Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira, plus Claude Makelele snuffing out any hint of a threat from midfield, an impregnable shield was constructed.

Today, the expectations have changed. Roman has tasted victory in all competitions and whilst his passion has not dimmed, the need to win in a certain manner has become his goal. Similarly, Jose has experienced coaching a flamboyant Real Madrid, a team who will not accept anything less than all-out attack. Whilst he broke the Barcelona domination of La Liga with a record points haul in 2010/11, a solitary league title in three years was not the level of success to which he has become accustomed. Many commentators attributed this to an inability to play in an offensive style and still maintain results. Returning to his beloved Blues, Jose has once again much to prove, but must do so in a different way to his previous time at Stamford Bridge.

With this in mind, of course the goals conceded are higher than in the previous era. With the possession football, short intricate passing and surfeit of skilful players, the Chelsea of today lack much of the strength and power of 2004/05. The screen of Lampard and Ramires does not afford the same level of protection to the defenders, leaving them frequently exposed to fast breaking opponents. The strategy when we lose the ball is also a key factor. In the past we would fall back into a 4-5-1, where as the aim now is to win the ball back immediately. If successful, this presents us with an attacking opportunity deep in opposition territory. If we fail, the defence is once again forced to take the strain.

Another factor is one that has been addressed by Jose in his press conferences. When we have lost, it is often because of goal scoring chances that have not been taken. The Capital One Cup exit was a perfect example of this, as we dominated the match, but did not take the game away from Sunderland. With a fragile 1-0 lead, there was always the potential for an equaliser and with it, a momentum change. The manager’s frustration with, in particular, his forwards is growing and I would not be surprised to see a new arrival in January. If reports of Radamel Falcoa’s discontent at Monaco are true, then the answer to our problems could be solved in one Colombian package!