Chelsea were absolutely dismantled by Arsenal at the Emirates and now Belgian winger Eden Hazard has had a go at the Blues’ back-line. David Luiz and Gary Cahill were run ragged by Alexis Sanchez and co, and Hazard was left unimpressed by his side’s performance.
"We came to win the match but we made mistakes," Hazard told the club's official website. "For the first goal, another for the second and then before we knew it we were already 3-0 down.
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"Every weekend at the moment we are having to come back and score. We did it at Leicester but against Arsenal, who were playing at home, it was not possible.
"There are no excuses. It was not good. They played well. [But] we need to be better. In the last three games in the league there have been nine points available and we have got one. It is disappointing.
"We need to go away and work on what we are doing wrong ahead of the big matches that are coming up."
Chelsea’s famed defence has been unusually porous under Antonio Conte and they will need to tighten up at the back, if they are to have any hope of finishing in the top 4 this season.
Antonio Conte looking to phase out underperforming defenders
Gary Cahill, David Luiz and Branislav Ivanovic have all come under the pump and according to the Daily Mirror, the Chelsea manager is looking to phase them out of the team. Gary Cahill has underperformed this season, and Branislav Ivanovic has not shown his best form for close to two years. Manager Conte was not able to sign his first choice defensive targets in the summer, with Chelsea missing out on Leonardo Bonucci, as well as Kalidou Koulibaly.
With the defence looking particularly leaky, Conte might prefer going back to his favoured 3-4-3 system. The Chelsea manager has earmarked Ben Gibson of Middlesbrough and Michael Keane of Burnley as ideal replacements.
Also read: Tactical Analysis: Clever movement from Arsenal overwhelms Chelsea in 3-0 win
John Terry has arguably been Chelsea’s best defender this season, but at 35, he barely represents a choice for the future. With Kurt Zouma waiting to come back from injury, Conte might well go back to the 3-4-3 formation to get Chelsea’s defensive solidity back.
Chelsea were exposed by Arsenal in their 3-0 loss against the Gunners on Saturday and Conte and his team will be looking to put in the hours on the training ground and improve their form ahead of their clash against Hull on 1 October.
