Chelsea were defeated, yes defeated, by Spurs, in Australia.
It is not a sentence commonly used when the two clubs face off, with Chelsea claiming superiority over the years, but today was perhaps a reality check that plenty of work still needs to be done on and off the pitch before the start of the new season.
Brazilian forward Richarlison claimed the winning goal with pretty much the last kick of the game, making the result even more valuable for Spurs due to the fact that they spent the majority of the second half with 10 men after Kevin Danso’s last man tackle on Joao Pedro.
While Xabi Alonso and players pushed the rightful message of mentioning that it is ‘pre season’ following the defeat, there would no doubt be a few things that Alonso may not have liked during the course of this match.
In this piece, I am focusing on Chelsea’s current midfield makeup for next season.
A disclaimer: this is not a reactionary piece, Chelsea’s over-reliance on Moises Caicedo’s brilliance has been an underlying issue for a long time.
Enzo Fernandez is not with the squad currently, but watching the way Chelsea set up off the ball today made me think that he would not be a good option in the slightest to play in the pivot next to Moises Caicedo.
Of course, the timings of when players need to jump onto the opposition when pressing off ball in an attempt to squeeze will get better over time, but there did seem to be a reliance and emphasis on both the central centre back and two pivots to win duels man to man and regain possession.
It was far too often that Spurs were able to bypass Chelsea’s midfield of Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo, and as good as Fernandez is on the ball and would no doubt help in build up playing deeper, it is hard to imagine anything other than a catastrophe should he be tasked often with the way Chelsea played off ball today.
Fernandez, while passionate, is not a player you would hang your hat on in the Premier League defending on regular occasions. He lacks athleticism and pace, and is not an elite duel winner.
His best moments over the past few seasons have come playing close to goal, where he is able to sniff out where and when the ball is going to arrive to him.
That ability, which saw him rack up over 20 G/A last season, seems hard to see be used again as often with the signing of Morgan Rogers.
The links to Alex Scott make sense. While he does not have a defined position, he is an all action midfielder capable of playing both deeper and further forward. He is not only technical, but a good tackler and athlete too.
Chelsea’s current midfield options bar Moises Caicedo simply have flaws that negate their strengths. In the current midfield package, there is not enough ‘all rounders’.
Jordan Henderson is set to sign on a free transfer. He is someone who will provide more value off the pitch than on it. While he is a top leader and character, his best days as a player are well behind him, both technically and physically.
Romeo Lavia is one of the most unreliable players in the Premier League, due to his horrendous injury history. He still has not completed a full 90 minutes at Chelsea, and this is his fourth season.
Lavia also has weaknesses off ball, with a tendency to lose runners too easily, or simply not be aware of those said runners running off him in the first place.
Dario Essugo seems to be the most similar profile to Caicedo, but is more raw off the ball, and on it, struggles to make things consistently tick.
Essugo lost the ball multiple times under pressure today. A loan to a possession based team would be a sensible move to develop more.
Could Reece James help solve the duelling issue? Potentially, but again, he is the best right back in the world in my opinion, so it would be moving him out of a spot where he is best at, in aid of putting a temporary plaster over a currently fixable issue.
Enzo Maresca, Liam Rosenior and others have used Reece in midfield regularly for a reason… no other midfielder bar Caicedo is enough of a complete package to put next to him on a regular basis in the Premier League.
The bottom line - Chelsea need to loan Essugo and Lavia if they can, and sell Enzo Fernandez to reinvest in midfielders more compatible with the way Xabi Alonso wants to play off ball, and specifically cope with the demands of the ever growing physical nature of the Premier League.
