Chelsea know better than most that having a strong defence is key to winning big games and challenging for major trophies.
This is the club that holds a Premier League record that feels almost impossible to beat — just 15 goals conceded during their title triumph in the 2004-05 season.
Some rivals may dismiss that feat as a sign of a negative style employed by former head coach Jose Mourinho, which is hardly fair given the team had Damien Duff and Arjen Robben flying down the wings.
What made the difference to that side was the leadership of stalwarts such as captain John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho, William Gallas and Paulo Ferreira at the back. Chelsea’s reputation for being stingy continued for years under Mourinho (he had two spells in charge — 2004 to 2007 and 2013 to 2015) and many of the managers who followed, with Ashley Cole, Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic added to the ranks.
For all their promise, you cannot put Chelsea’s current back line on a par with their predecessors. When the club were in their pomp, lifting five Premier League trophies between 2005 and 2017, scoring against them used to be quite an achievement, let alone beating them. These days, it is just par for the course.
Under head coach Mauricio Pochettino last season, Chelsea conceded 63 goals, a club record in the Premier League era. His replacement, Enzo Maresca, has made a very encouraging start at Stamford Bridge, but the defence is still hindering performances, most recently in their 2-1 away defeat to Liverpool.
Chelsea have kept two clean sheets from their eight Premier League games (and they were very fortunate to do so in their 1-0 win at Bournemouth, who had a penalty saved and struck the woodwork twice).
Maresca is still trying to find the best balance between defence and attack, which is understandable given he has only been in charge for three months. A good defensive record also relies on the midfield’s protection and a strong goalkeeper — Robert Sanchez’s role is certainly another topic for debate. But for all the investment in centre-backs over the past few years, something still seems missing.
Since taking over in May 2022, more than £185million ($241m) has been spent by the Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium on Kalidou Koulibaly (who joined Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal after one season), Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Axel Disasi and Renato Veiga. Signing Tosin Adarabioyo on a free transfer and promoting Levi Colwill from the academy has added to the strength in depth.
There is some raw young talent there, which fits the club’s philosophy, particularly in the case of Colwill and Veiga. In fairness to Fofana, his Chelsea career has been hindered by injury for the past two years.
Despite the spending, Chelsea could still do with a towering leader at the back, someone ideally next to Colwill who can bring more assuredness in tough fixtures at stadiums such as Anfield, to put those challenges in that turn a defeat into a draw, or a draw into a win.
Colwill will be disappointed by the reckless challenge he made on Curtis Jones that presented Mohamed Salah with a simple opportunity to put Liverpool ahead from the penalty spot. After the interval, the whole defence went missing while playing the offside trap for the second, with Salah returning the favour for Jones at the back post.
Chelsea performed far better on this latest visit to Liverpool than nine months ago when they were humiliated 4-1, but they still presented their opponents with two gifts. For all their encouraging spells in possession, Chelsea left Liverpool with the same number of points as the last time — zero.
Chelsea have now gone 10 games in all competitions without beating Liverpool. This is the fixture that holds some of the fondest memories for Chelsea supporters — it is not a coincidence that they boasted an unbeaten record (four wins, one draw) away from home against them in their five title-winning campaigns during the Premier League era, letting in just three goals.
One of Chelsea’s most famous victories, which is always referred to in the build-up to any Liverpool away game, came at the end of the 2013-14 season, which they ended without a trophy, but Mourinho still oversaw a 2-0 win with the inexperienced Tomas Kalas next to Ivanovic at centre-half.
It is hard to see the current group getting the better of Liverpool with the same discipline. It is a facet they need to improve on quickly, with games against Newcastle United, Manchester United, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur to come before Christmas.
Maresca believes otherwise, even though only eight Premier League teams have conceded more.
“The first is a penalty, it can happen,” he said during the post-match press conference. “And in the way we conceded the second goal, we have already avoided this season five or six goals because of the line (playing for offside). To come here in this stadium against this team and to think you’re not going to concede chances, it’s almost impossible.
“We can do many things better, but game after game, the defensive line is getting better.”
Only time will tell if he is right, but this is one area that the transfer market has not yet fixed.
(Top photo: Levi Colwill fouls Liverpool’s Curtis Jones; by Alex Dodd/CameraSport via Getty Images)
