How Jose Mourinho can improve on Chelsea’s form

Chelsea have started the 2014/15 season in dominating fashion, having lost only a solitary game and sitting on top of the Premier League table. At the moment, Mourinho’s men look like the most complete side in England. That being said, there is always room for improvement.

There isn’t a lot that needs to be done in terms of making this Chelsea side any better, but I feel it is important to touch upon these aspects since not many people (if any at all) have looked to analyse the potential weaknesses of this Chelsea side.

1) Tighten the defence

Chelsea were one of the best defensive sides in the League last season. In John Terry and Gary Cahill they had a formidable duo that looked unbeatable. That changed this season when Mourinho decided to shift to a more expansive style of defending instead of the low-block he previously employed with so much success.

The reason Chelsea’s defence hasn’t looked as solid as it did last season is not down to the shift to an expansive style of defence, but a lack of defenders who suit that style of play. Both Terry and Cahill are more comfortable in a low-block, and although Terry started the season in a shaky manner he has managed to find his form. This is because Mourinho decided against an all-out expansive system and chose instead to make the defence sit slightly deeper. Cahill, however, has continuously struggled.

Cahill as a defender is fairly limited . He is very good at defending his own penalty area and will often put his body on the line. He is a physical threat too and can score the odd goal. However, he struggles against pacey attackers and his general style of defending is reactive and not proactive; instead of nipping the problem in the bud, he waits until the last second to put in a block and the consequences of this have been bad at times. His annoying tendency of backing off constantly whenever someone decides to run at him is a prime example of this.

The first solution that comes to mind is to invest in a new centre-back during the January transfer window. That option isn’t without it’s problems though, mainly because it’s hard to find quality players available at transfer rates that aren’t even more inflated than normal. This leaves Mourinho with only one more option if he wants to persist with an expansive defence.

In Kurt Zouma, Chelsea have a young defender who is set to become a top centre-back in a few years time. At the moment, he is raw and not ready for regular first-team football. However, he can start the odd League game every now and then. He has all the tools to succeed in England. He is a physical specimen who is very good in the air. He isn’t afraid to get involved in the build-up whenever he can and has a decent passing range. Playing a few League games along with the odd appearance in cup games will most certainly help his progress. Playing him alongside Terry would do him a world of good as the Chelsea captain has an amazing tactical understanding of the game and Zouma will benefit from his expertise. Plus the skipper will be able to protect the youngster and ensure that some of his mistakes go unnoticed like he does with Cahill.

2) Increase Chelsea’s goal threat 

The arrival of Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa has seen an increase in the number of chances Chelsea create and convert. Fabregas has the most assists in England so far this season and Diego Costa is second in the goalscorers list. However, Chelsea’s main attacking midfielders – namely Willian, Oscar and Hazard – need to start doing a little more in attack than they do currently.

Willian is arguably Chelsea’s most selfless player and the amount of work he does for the side can easily go unnoticed. It isn’t easy to do a lot of the team’s dirty work whilst also finding the back of the net on a somewhat regular basis, but it’s something Willian will have to work on. Despite having only a solitary goal and assist to his name so far this season, he hasn’t been afraid to shoot; he’s had a total of 24 shots and even created 16 chances. Going back to the basics and doing a little shooting pratice after training wouldn’t be the worst thing for him.

Oscar has stepped up to the plate this season after being largely lacklustre for the second half of last season. The young Brazilian has notched up 3 goals and 5 assists and has started to become more invloved in Chelsea’s overall play. He isn’t afraid to have a go at goal either; he’s taken 39 shots already so far this season! That being said, he too needs to work just a little more on his shooting; he can easily score 15 or more in a season if he improves just a little. Double figures in assists is also a very achievable target for him.

Eden Hazard has 6 goals and 2 assists this season, which is disappointing because he should have better numbers. The Belgian has the ability to get into excellent positions thanks to his dribbling but messes it up by either shooting tamely or not shooting at all, which is very frustrating to watch. With him, it isn’t a case of working on his ability for it is all there. Instead, he needs to work just a little more on his decision making in order to make the step up from a good player to a great player.

A quick word on Andre Schurrle and Mohamed Salah: neither will become first-team regulars this season. Salah will either be offloaded in January or continue to be used in a limited capacity, whilst Schurrle needs to work on various aspects of his game before he can consider challenging for a first-team spot. Currently the German is best suited to a super sub role.

Concluding remarks

As I mentioned earlier, Chelsea look the most complete side in England right now. They have it all: speed, graft, creativity and an ability to get results. However, if the above mentioned improvements take place as the season wears on, Chelsea will develop an ability to kill off games, something Mourinho has admitted this side currently don’t possess. If they can get that killer instinct soon, they could easily wrap up the title by April or even mid-March.