What do you think is Chelsea's main problem this season?

Isn't it funny that although we were dire on Saturday and dropped two points away to Norwich, We gained a point on Spurs as they lost at Manchester City. Forget the league title, that's gone and has been for a while now, but it's important that Chelsea finish 3rd as a minimum this season. I think we'd all take that now with a decent run in the FA Cup and Champions League.

Although we gained a point on Spurs it still doesn't hide the fact that Chelsea were woeful at the weekend. So many times this season we have become toothless up front when games are needed to be won. Even games when we are a goal up and looking to kill the game, we have struggled.

So what is Chelsea's problem this season? It's a question we have been asking ourselves for some time now.

AVB gave his reaction to the result and gave his insight to the problem we have this season and said:

'We are in the top three teams for creating chances, but the efficiency was not there and this represents where we are in the table.

We have to find the consistency for us to get on a winning run which can make this title challenge a little bit more, that is the reality.

It is not going to be a lack of ambition or motivation. There is always motivation when you play for a top club.'

(Source)
I agree with him only to a point. He says we are in the top three teams for creating chances, but for me not enough of them are clear cut. From what I have seen this season, we get into great positions and when a simple cut back is a better option or a slide rule pass square to someone in a better position is on, we turn greedy and shoot from ridiculous angles. Granted in some cases we have scored from these positions, but more often than not, we haven't!.

I agree with him when he states our problem is efficiency. We aren't consistent enough this season and it has cost us dearly.

We need to make sure our performances are consistent. One week we play really well having upped the tempo and cause our opposition all sorts of problems, then the next we are sucked into playing a slow paced tempo making it easy for our opposition to defend against.

MY VIEW:

It's my opinion that ALL of our problems come down to one thing and that's tempo of our play. Look at the problems we have at the moment, we aren't taking enough chances we create, in some cases in games we aren't even creating enough chances, Torres hasn't scored, we haven't killed games off and have dropped points in games we should have won.

For me it all comes down to tempo. In order for Chelsea to win games with the squad and players we have, we need to play at a fast, high paced tempo. We need to keep sides on the back foot and can do that with quick passing forward and in behind opposition's defences. We take too many touches at times when we don't need to and we play the ball sideways again where a ball forward is a better option. I know in some games it's important to keep possession, but we need more urgency on our play.

The problem with tempo is linked to Torres and his problems scoring goals for Chelsea. It was the same last season but at times at the beginning of this season we played quicker and he scored goals.

It's when Chelsea slow the game down and take an age to get the ball forward that Torres struggles. Torres is used to making runs off the ball expecting to be played in and it just doesn't happen here and that is a big big problem at the moment. If Chelsea moved the ball forward and at pace, Torres would be played in time and time again and we would reap the rewards. In fact, no matter who played up front, we would see the benefit whether it was Drogba or Sturridge playing there.

Look at Swansea and Arsenal the other week. Both sides like to play quick short passes to open up space and then get the ball forward into their attacking players whether it's wide or into the front man quickly to get on the front foot. Chelsea's play at times is almost half the pace of these two.

Tempo is Chelsea's problem and as a result causes the other problems we are faced with. Until the players get used to playing that way or those we can't are shipped out and replaced, Chelsea will have the same problem for the remainder of the season.

KTBFFH

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