Chelsea Show Strengths and Weaknesses in Victory over Southampton

On the back of a miserable Champions League defeat in midweek, victory over Southampton at Stamford Bridge on Sunday was the perfect riposte from Chelsea.

Jose Mourinho's team were in a need of a positive result for many reasons—most importantly to forget about that poor display against Basel, but to also capitalize on the errors of title rivals Liverpool and Manchester United, who each dropped points this weekend.

After a below-par performance in the first half—conceding a Jay Rodriguez goal after just 14 seconds—it eventually proved a job well done for the Blues, who dominated the Saints after the interval to win 3-1.

Indeed, Mourinho's tactical changes at half time, namely introducing Demba Ba to partner Fernando Torres, considerably influenced proceedings, with Southampton struggling to contain the Chelsea pair.

Yet again, however, when Chelsea were looking to their strikers to change the game, the vital goals came from elsewhere.

First it was Gary Cahill, who equalized on 55 minutes, before John Terry nodded Chelsea ahead seven minutes later.

It was Terry's 400th Premier League appearance for the Blues, so it was almost inevitable he would mark the occasion in such a way. His header was typical of all we have seen of him in that time although, as pleasing as it was, Mourinho should be concerned it wasn't one of his strikers putting Chelsea in control.

Chelsea's front three—Torres, Ba and Samuel Eto'o—have all impressed at different stages of 2013-14. Yet as the halfway mark of the campaign approaches, their combined goal tally in all competitions is yet to hit double figures—standing at just seven.

Torres and Ba gave Southampton plenty to contend with on Sunday, but it was left to the partnership at the other end of the pitch to bail Chelsea out.

Ba did add Chelsea's third to make sure of the win, although Southampton looked a beaten a team by that stage.

The Blues cannot rely forever on the rest of the team to score vital goals. That responsibility falls upon their strikers and while they contribute elsewhere, their influence needs to be felt in the scoring chart.

Championship winning teams are built on many things and prolific strikers are high on the list of prerequisites. If Chelsea really are going to make good on their potential as Premier League winners this term, their front men need to start scoring goals.

They will not win the biggest prizes otherwise. Nor will they if the problematic defensive midfield situation isn't sorted.

Just when it seems Mourinho has his found his ideal combination in that area, poor form strikes.

Sitting in the pivot, Frank Lampard, John Obi Mikel and Ramires have all looked strong together at various stages. They remain inconsistent, however, with the introduction of Michael Essien to the starting line-up against Southampton compounding Mourinho's woes when it comes to his defensive pair.

Once so strong and influential, it's clear injuries have taken their toll on Essien. He's a shadow of the player from yesteryear, as Sunday's performance showed.

The Ghanaian was considerably off the pace—his biggest contribution to the game being his assist for Rodriguez's opener after an ill-judged back pass.

Mourinho would have been hopeful Essien was ready to step up, but he isn't. Instead, the Portuguese knows he has few options in the middle behind whichever attacking combination he selects further forward.

It wasn't all negative in West London, of course. Chelsea won the game after all and without hitting top gear just yet, remain second in the league and in a strong position for an assault on the title.

The Terry-Cahill centre-back pairing is looking stronger with each game, while Juan Mata returned to the line-up and had a big influence, grabbing the assist for Terry's goal.

And as for the famed character of any Mourinho team, it's alive and well at Stamford Bridge. It was something Mourinho himself was keen to stress at the final whistle.

"You have to show character," he told Sky TV when asked about his team's reaction to going behind so early in the game. "They did that, but they [the players] also understood well what we had to do."

That's grinding out results, regardless of the performance, which Chelsea are doing in the Premier League. They just need the rest to sort itself out.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent and will be following the club from a London base throughout the 2013-14 season. Follow him on Twitter here @garryhayes