The Blues have been buoyed by Champions League success as they face high-flying Leicester, but Thore Haugstad notes their displays have been improving for a while...
When Jose Mourinho explained his pre-season plan in August, he spoke of a desire to avoid the tiredness that had hit Chelsea in January. This summer the players had been given an extra week off to avoid a similar slump, at the expense that the start might be a bit slower. After the opening-day draw with Swansea, the Portuguese duly observed that some players “didn’t react as well as we expected”. That would prove to be an understatement.
Chelsea have since offered few signs of improvement and so many individuals have lost form simultaneously that the malaise must surely be ascribed to more overarching physical and mental factors. They have played well for periods, but then succumbed to defeat – eight in 15 league games to be precise. Even the victories have rarely convinced. The triumph over Arsenal was aided by a dismissal, while before last week, the other beaten teams were no more formidable than West Brom, Dynamo Kiev, Aston Villa, Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Norwich and Walsall.
All along Mourinho has promised better times, but only in the last two weeks has evidence emerged. After the 4-0 win at Maccabi, the champions drew at Tottenham before suffering a home defeat to Bournemouth that featured bad luck. By that time the Portuguese had seen enough to promote stats that suggested improvement. While one analysis proved him only partly right, the subsequent 2-0 win over Porto fortified the impression that Chelsea have started their recovery.
The road to recovery
The starting point did in many ways take place at White Hart Lane, where Chelsea built on consecutive clean sheets against Norwich and Maccabi to hold one of the fittest sides in the division. Although Spurs were reeling from a Thursday night in Azerbaijan, one would have expected more than just two attempts from inside the box. The Blues completed eight tackles and nine interceptions more and, though Tottenham had 58% possession, the visitors actually completed more passes in the final third.
Mourinho duly jinxed the Bournemouth game by saying that, if Chelsea kept playing like that, he would not be surprised if they stayed unbeaten for the next 10 games. What followed was an embarrassing defeat, but there were positives too. Chelsea dominated after the break and engineered a series of chances that could easily have yielded an opener. Such sustained pressure had rarely been seen at Stamford Bridge this season and, by full-time, the visitors had survived 11 corners, 16 chances and 19 shots.
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Before the following encounter, against Porto, Mourinho highlighted how Chelsea had beaten their own record for high-intensity work in each of the last three games. They had apparently run more, kept the ball more and created more chances. The indication was clear: they were playing well without getting their rewards. Number-crunchers Opta later found that Chelsea had produced the second-lowest number of clear-cut chances in the league. However, they also reported that the team had averaged 455 sprints over their first 11 league games. Over the last four, this had risen to 515.
Just like old times
If that stat alluded to a pre-season plan perhaps finally coming good, further indications emerged against Porto. Chelsea played as if having entered a time machine, displaying the organisation and aggressiveness that hallmark a vintage Mourinho side. They launched a series of counters after their early goal, and while Porto had more shots, the quality and close proximity of Chelsea’s chances merited the victory.
Perhaps the most encouraging aspect was the defensive work. So often have Chelsea’s players looked sluggish this season, committing desperate fouls and being bypassed by zippy wingers. This time they completed 40 out of 66 attempted tackles, a remarkably high number that dwarfed their league average of 21. It also put their previous shift against Porto to shame.
Contributing to this were a resilient and seemingly rejuvenated midfield. Replacing Cesc Fabregas, Ramires added steel and energy to the side. Nemanja Matic completed six tackles, while Oscar was the busiest of all, racking up eight. The full-back pairing of Branislav Ivanovic and Cesar Azpilicueta completed 13 out of 19 in total. It reminded of the Chelsea of old.
Striking improvements
Amid Chelsea’s recent run, the attacking key players have also showed promise. In the win against Norwich, which preceded the game at Maccabi, Eden Hazard created the most chances (five), completed the most final-third passes (54 out of 60) and pulled off the most dribbles (9 out of an attempted 11). The action took place in central areas, with Hazard occupying a playmaker role.
At Tottenham, the Belgian started as a false nine instead of the benched Diego Costa and produced a display Mourinho would hail as “phenomenal”. He was heavily involved, creating two chances and completing five final-third passes more than anyone, despite Tottenham having the five busiest passers overall. Retaining the role against Bournemouth, Hazard stretched the backline in another lively display.
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The reason for Hazard’s advanced positioning has been the dumping of Costa. The striker was dropped twice after Mourinho complained about his movement against Maccabi, and Costa had indeed offered few of his characteristic runs out wide.
These initiatives re-emerged as he returned against Porto. Hungry and mobile, he drifted towards the flanks and moved into the channels. This led to the opener and, overall, his patterns were unrecognisable from his previous start. “His attitude was very good and his movement was much better,” Mourinho said. “So goals are coming.”
With Hazard also recording an assist in that game, Mourinho’s contentment was understandable and the tactician can finally present some hard evidence that Chelsea are getting better. It’s been a long time coming. Now it remains to be seen whether they can keep it up.
