Chelsea slumped to a shock 2-1 loss at St James’ Park yesterday, but what were the causes, and what can José Mourinho do about them?
1) Lack of width
Chelsea were unable to create many chances going forward because they seriously lacked width to stretch the Newcastle defence. In fact the Blues created more in the last ten minutes when they started hoofing the ball up to Didier Drogba and John Terry late on. More width is needed in the side to create space for Eden Hazard and Diego Costa up front.
Solution:
Azpilicueta doesn’t create width on the left because he’s playing on his wrong foot, and Ivanovic get’s forward down the right but is a poor crosser. Playing Filipe Luis at left-back against teams like Sunderland which are going to sit deep would create a lot more width for the side.
Willian also cuts inside every time he gets. The ball. A genuine wide-man like Juan Cuadrado would be an excellent addition to the side.
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