"I know why they’ve collapsed" - Sam Allardyce explains key reason for Chelsea's recent struggles

Former England manager Sam Allardyce has explained what he believes is the reason for Premier League juggernauts Chelsea's recent dip in form. The 70-year-old asserted that the Blues' inconsistencies on the defensive end have costed them dearly over the past few games.

Before matchday 18 in the 2024-25 campaign, Chelsea were second in the EPL standings and firmly in the hunt for the title. However, they currently sit fourth on the table, a whopping 18 points behind runaway leaders Liverpool.

The Blues' last 10 league encounters have yielded just 11 points (three wins, two draws and five losses). On the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Allardyce discussed the woes plaguing Enzo Maresca's side, detailing exactly what has gone wrong for them. He said (via TBR Football):

"Why have they collapsed? I know why they've collapsed because they don't defend very well. They used to defend, they were getting the defensive and the attacking side right, and they were winning every week."

"All of a sudden, the defensive side has collapsed again. What has he (Maresca) done? Has he ignored it again? I've always moaned the last three years, does anyone coach defending now? There's been a shift in long ball, it's coming back more and more teams are deciding that there is another way to play, and there always has been," Allardyce added.

Chelsea are the joint third-highest scoring team in the Premier League at the moment (52 goals). However, they have also conceded the joint second-most goals of any side in the top seven spots on the table (36).

"He is human" - Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca defends superstar attacker Cole Palmer amid recent dip in form

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca jumped to the defense of his superstar attacker Cole Palmer amid the latter's poor run of form in recent fixtures.

The 22-year-old, who started the season on fire, has not registered a goal contribution in any of his last six appearances. Overall, he has 14 goals and six assists in 30 appearances across all competitions this season.

When asked about the Englishman's slump, Maresca claimed that he's "only human", adding that every world-class player goes through "bad moments". Speaking to BBC Sport, the Italian tactician said (via GOAL):

"We are all former players. All of us went through some bad moments. You cannot expect Palmer to be like he was last season or how he was in the first part of the season. It's normal. He is human. I was telling him it was normal. He is happy. He is OK."

"He has shared the changing room with some top players and he knows that every top player goes through bad moments. It's about how you react. Keep working, keep laughing, keep calm, be happy and enjoy the football. It's the only thing you have to do."

Up next, Palmer and Chelsea will be in action in the first leg of their Europa Conference League Round of 16 clash against Danish side FC Copenhagen on March 6.