Chelsea vs. Southampton: Tactical Preview of Premier League Game
Chelsea resume their Premier League title tilt on Sunday with a home match against high-flying Southampton. After being knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain on away goals midweek, they'll be hungry to set the record straight here.
Chelsea News
Chelsea's only possible remaining trophy is the Premier League, so Jose Mourinho can go all-out to secure it. If he fails to, it'll go down as one of the greatest upsets of the modern Premier League era.
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The full-back dilemma remains, with Filipe Luis pushing for a spot ahead of either Cesar Azpilicueta or Branislav Ivanovic. Kurt Zouma will also be hungry for a starting role in central defence at the expense of Gary Cahill.
Juan Cuadrado and Willian will fight for a role on the right, while Oscar should retain his place in the No. 10 role. Per WhoScored.com, John Obi Mikel is the only injury absence.
Southampton News
Jay Rodriguez remains a distant memory to Southampton fans, with his return no closer to fruition. Emmanuel Mayuka is also out, leaving Graziano Pelle up front once again with possible relief from Shane Long.
A 4-2-3-1 is expected so Ronald Koeman can place both Morgan Schneiderlin and Victor Wanyama in front of the defence and keep things tight; as much as the Saints need three points to keep their Champions League dream alive, a draw here would be spectacular.
Toby Alderweireld could return after a fair chunk of games missed, while James Ward-Prowse vs. Filip Djuricic vs. Steven Davis in midfield is a toss-up.
Key Point 1: Defending Nathaniel Clyne
This could be the ultimate test of Eden Hazard's defensive ability—or, in fact, the ultimate test of Chelsea's ability to wrinkle and tweak their setup.
In the absence of any sharpness in midfield from Saints and a general flatness to their play—they dominate possession but carving out strong chances on goal has been an issue, and their shooting efficiency has been unspeakably poor—Clyne is the man who creates havoc.
His ability to buccaneer forward and hit the byline with pace, then cut inside along the line and put a low cross into the danger area, is an underrated trait and has looked like the Saints' most threatening weapon of late. In the loss to Swansea City, he could have had three assists on another day such was the quality of his attacking play.
Whoever Mourinho fields on the left will need to buckle up, or if Hazard doesn't fancy it, the Blues will need to move into a different shape and push Hazard centrally for counter-attacks. Oscar, Willian: take your pick, but you get the impression Clyne goes one vs. one with the full-back early and often if Hazard's a true winger.
Key Point 2: What's Eating Cesc?
Whichever scientist or mystic healer identifies exactly what happens to Cesc Fabregas in the second half of the season should be awarded a medal and a bonus cheque from Chelsea. His ropey form is again affecting his side's fortunes on the pitch.
The Blues are coming up against arguably the league's best defence, and Alderweireld may well be plugged back in to strengthen it further. With a Wanyama-Schneiderlin shield in front, this stands to be one of the toughest tests of the campaign for the Blues' attack.
They need Fabregas to pass, move, create and shoot—efficiently, too. He's managed a paltry two Premier League assists since the turn of the year and has scored no goals, per WhoScored.com; it's directly contributing to Chelsea's lack of form over the past two months.
Now, more than ever, Mourinho needs him to re-find his form.
