Chelsea FC: How Can Jose Mourinho's Blues Be Beaten?
After Wednesday's 3-0 victory over London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea are unbeaten in 21 matches in all competitions, including 14 Premier League games.
Despite missing his £32 million battering-ram Diego Costa, Jose Mourinho found joy with Didier Drogba, who repaid his manager's faith with one goal and one assist. Loic Remy came on in the second half, contributing one goal of his own. It would seem The Great West London Striker Crisis from 2013/14 is officially history.
Chelsea's blistering start has some believing they can run the table without defeat. The bountiful Blues are six points clear of second-placed Manchester City, having already played games at the Etihad, Old Trafford, Anfield and Goodison Park.
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With 24 matches left to navigate, the odds are slim that Mourinho's men will finish unblemished, but they do appear an incorrigible unit.
As witnessed vs. Manchester United and Sunderland in the Premier League, Chelsea's opponents celebrate one point, rather than bemoan the two lost. Though reactions of opposition can sometimes mislead, the scenes of Robin van Persie's equaliser at Old Trafford looked as if Holland had won the World Cup.
Perfect teams do not exist; that said, these Blues have balance in every area. From top to bottom, there are artists and artisans, silk and steel—all the components of a championship side—but they do have the capacity to slip.
Were one making a blueprint of sorts, the first facet in taking three points from Chelsea is collective self-belief.
Whether playing at Stamford Bridge or one's own ground, accepting a draw as the best possible result is asking for trouble. Far too often, teams sit back and let Chelsea dictate play, rather than being aggressive. Burnley and Liverpool both took early leads but quickly relinquished their hold on proceedings. More confident sides might have sought a second goal, rather than surrendering possession.
Accepting, however, the Blues do have superior firepower against most clubs, after team solidarity, concrete, mistake-free defending is a prerequisite to beating this Mourinho outfit.
Fourteen games into the Premier League campaign, Chelsea have been the recipient of poor defending and mental lapses from their opposition. Everton gave Chelsea two goals within three minutes, then conceded an own goal after a spellbinding Eden Hazard run. Playing Crystal Palace down a man—due to Cesar Azpilicueta’s red card—the Eagles’ Damien Delaney created parity three minutes later after his second yellow card.
The point here being: One cannot beat themselves.
Third on the list is playing the Blues when they are tired, sluggish or looking ahead.
Having four competitions to orchestrate, Chelsea may find themselves fatigued in the second half of the season. Mourinho has a versatile squad but not a large one. There are players who can play multiple positions, but the automatic selections may wear down after repeated use.
The Portuguese has—barring the appearance of Drogba vs. Tottenham—played the same starting XI in four consecutive matches and shows very little signs of changing his first-choice starting unit.
When Chelsea play three games in an eight-day period and teams with no Champions League and/or domestic cup commitments have one week to prepare, Mourinho and Co. may find life more difficult—their own success leading to an eventual banana skin.
Our final component—as all of these work in unison—is being advantageous or lucky even.
Last season vs. Aston Villa, Ramires and Willian were sent off and Chelsea lost 1-0. Against Crystal Palace, John Terry scored an own goal, Chelsea lost 1-0; and vs. Sunderland, Azpilicueta gave away a costly penalty converted in the 82nd minute, Chelsea lost 2-1.
Nine points from those games would have secured Chelsea the 2013/14 Premier League title with one game to spare—but fortune did not favour the Blues.
This season, with Cesc Fabregas and Costa in the team, goals have come rather easily. What a team needs against the leaders is a bit of magic: a late goal, dogged defending beforehand, refereeing decisions and Chelsea not playing to their world-class capability.
Listening to Mourinho, the Blues’ manager seems to think losing is standard, telling reporters via the Mirror's Martin Lipton:
"I don't see, in modern football with the competitiveness of this Premier League, one team being champion without a defeat.
In my opinion, [Arsenal's 2003/04 side] will stay in the history as the first—and the last.
"
Able to play from behind or ahead, whether in possession or via counter-attack, Chelsea are build brilliantly and do look impervious—but for every Mike Tyson, there is a Buster Douglas.
More important than going unbeaten is winning silverware, so whether Chelsea’s inevitable knockout happens this season is largely irrelevant without a trophy to show for their diligence.
*Stats via WhoScored.com; transfer fees via soccerbase.com where not noted.
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