Chelsea: 3 Reasons Why Jose Mourinho Is In Desperate Need Of A Tactical Plan B

2. Lack Of Options

The problem is that Willian and Hazard both attack in very similar ways and have shown little ability in adapting their play to more conservative opponents. Mourinho's strategy is based around stretching teams so Hazard in particular has room to run into, yet recent matches against West Ham and West Brom (important games both unexpectedly drawn) and last Saturday's fortunate victory against Everton have shown defences staying increasingly tight as a unit, dropping their midfielders deeper to further close ranks and congest the penalty box and surrounding area. Since Hazard and Willian both cut inside as a key part of their game, using Eto'o as a conduit for finding space, the lack of space means they are either reduced to impotent passing outside the box, or moving the play out for Ivanovic or Azpilicueta to cross from deep, easy pickings for central defenders faced with a relatively diminutive Chelsea forward line. The extraordinary number of blocked shots in the West Ham and West Brom games were no coincidence. When faced with teams who refuse to be drawn out, Mourinho's lack of options becomes abundantly clear. Not to sound too unkind, but Schurrle and Salah are lesser versions of Hazard and Willian, so straight replacements means defenders only have to deal with a slightly fresher version of the same threat. Oscar is the closest thing Chelsea have to a playmaker, yet is too often on the periphery of games where the focus is on getting the ball to the quicker, wide(r) men. Defensive responsibilities limit his ability to move away from his central role, and congested defences mean any attempted through balls or shots rebound off the crowd. If his recent form has been little better than dreadful, it's as much down to opponents' changing strategies as his own inability to do anything about it. Mourinho's supporters would be quick to argue that the manager simply needs the chance to bring in new personnel in the close season, yet this crucially ignores how much of the existing team is already of Mourinho's choosing. He chose not to sign a big name striker in either of the past two windows, and approved the signings of Willian and Schurrle just as much as he happily waved goodbye to Kevin De Bruyne and Juan Mata. It's noteworthy that those two players were, Oscar aside, the ones offering something genuinely different from those now at his disposal. Mata has none of Oscar's defensive discipline (or intent), but his positional intelligence and passing range are endlessly more subtle, best left perusing between enemy lines and slowly but surely picking them apart with the kinds of killer balls and unpredictable movement Chelsea are now so visibly lacking. De Bruyne, regardless of any attitude problems which may or may not have contributed to his departure, is a pass-and-move player with exceptional vision and crossing ability, the latter a skill no-one in the current team can boast.