Why Chelsea's double pivot of Fabregas and Matic isn't working

Cesc Fabregas has failed to capture the start he had last season with Chelsea

In case you’ve missed it, Chelsea haven’t exactly been covering themselves in glory this season. Not since Blackburn Rovers’ woeful start to the 1995/96 Premier League campaign have the defending champions started a season so badly. Picking up just four points in as many games, the Blues have shot themselves in the foot in the early throes and now face a real test to regain some ground.

Keeping hold of the league title and League Cup are challenges that will prove incredibly tough with two of their most influential players currently misfiring. Indeed, with the double pivot of Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic looking more than a little rusty, Jose Mourinho’s team have lacked the necessary spine which has often made them a balanced and deadly force.

Not many experts saw this coming – the Londoners were supposed to start the season at speed and continue in the same well-drilled manner they had perfected so regularly last season, with Fabregas and Matic guiding the necessarily powerful engine. They certainly were not tipped to draw their opening game, nor was it anticipated that the “Special One” would have the celebrations of his 100th home league match in charge gatecrashed by Crystal Palace

So, what’s gone wrong? And why have Cesc and “the Spider” failed to perform?

Chelsea’s predictable system has been targeted

Nemanja Matic looks desperately out of form

Watching Chelsea so far, it’s been easy to notice their 4-2-3-1 system hasn’t been functioning perfectly by any means; their lapse hasn’t come from nowhere. Stagnant, exposed and devoid of the vibrancy it exuded so much throughout 2015/16, there have certainly been more than a few concerns creeping in.

The club’s failure to lure Paul Pogba away from Juventus means that their quick-fix is now gone, and until the January window rolls around, they will be forced to paper over the ever-expanding cracks with what reinforcements they currently have which means they might have to stick with their misfiring formation. Nevertheless, the analysis of their four league games so far will be in full swing, and with the management and technical staff pouring over the incriminating tapes of their disastrous start, plans will surely begin to form in an effort to craft something new and less predictable.

Against Crystal Palace, Chelsea expected the win, and that was part of their downfall. Going for a tried and tested formation against an opponent who had rarely caused them problems, they approached the clash without due attention to the deficiencies which had alread been brutally exposed against Swansea City, Manchester City and West Bromwich Albion.

The “Special One” needs to think long and hard about implementing a new system

Perhaps it was hoped that Pedro would put in a starring role again, or that Eden Hazard and Diego Costa would finally come to life. Regardless, they did not, and Matic and Fabregas continued to underwhelm. The Eagles looked to apply pressure to their weakness and it paid dividends. In hindsight, it should have been obvious that Chelsea would struggle through Cesc and Matic.

Outstripped in the pace department, out-thought in the passing stakes and out-manoeuvred without the ball, they have added little to any of the matches so far – and it’s something their opposite numbers have sensed with increasing awareness in every match.

Porous defence has caused unnecessary strain

As a shield for the back four, the double pivot has the potential to add greater protection. A two-man insurance blanket affording an extra layer of defensive solidity, when without the ball, it can prove hugely beneficial in shutting down an opposition’s attack. However, its effect is limited when sitting in front of a defensive back four that seems intent on self-imploding.

So far, Gary Cahill, John Terry and the rest of the defence have had a nightmarish start to the season, conceding as many as nine goals, currently sitting in the bottom half of the table with a visit to the daunting Goodison Park against Everton (and the free-scoring Romelu Lukaku) on the horizon.

Offensively, the Pensioners’ double pivot have made little contribution but it’s primarily because they’ve had to focus the vast majority of their time and energy in fixing what’s going on behind them. Indeed, most recently against Palace, they had to track back quite a bit, but the pair simply didn’t do enough to assert their presence.

In the image below, Fabregas (highlighted) should really be pushed back into the pocket of space at the back post – he failed to do so and their opponents scored after Bakary Sako (also highlighted) took advantage to pop up with a crucial assist.

Chelsea have been exposed at the back this season

Tracking back, concentrating on helping out in defence and forced to neglect their offensive duties, they’ve not been able to implement the full effect of what a successful double pivot can do.

Overall, the balance of their purpose is missing, and there ought to be equilibrium to this particular set-up, otherwise it struggles to work – and it will continue to do so until Mourinho finds a solution.

Fabregas and Matic have hit personal slumps

Simply put, the most obvious reason for this tactical mechanism’s failure has been the fact their hub has fallen by the wayside due to a combined performance slump. It’s not exactly news that players sometimes experience a downturn. It happens. But that doesn’t mean that Chelsea’s uninspired duo won’t scale the heights they are used to eventually.

With Matic normally the more defensively sound of the pair, some have pointed the figure of blame more explicitly at him. In truth, it’s fair to say the criticism of his play thus far has been well and truly warranted.

Against West Bromwich Albion, a match they narrowly won, he was culpable of some very poor awareness for the Baggies first goal – as well as giving away a penalty. Highlighted in the picture below, he was caught ball-watching in the middle of the box instead of keeping an eye on goalscorer James Morrison whom the ball bobbled to after a smart cut-back before being volleyed home.

Matic really needs to work on his defensive duties

Unable to deal with some of the more aggressive play which has hit him in recent times with attackers ruffling his feathers, he’s looked incredibly uncomfortable doing his job properly. Sluggish, off the pace and often unaware of the dangers around him, he has been targeted by teams in recent weeks and has lacked the mental resilience to improvehis play quickly.

Clearly, then, it’s time the Serbian international answered his wake-up call because the longer he under-performs, the further they will fall behind Manchester City and the rest of the breakaway pack.

Then again, Fabregas has also been off the pace and needs to shoulder some of the blame for not being able to pick up his team-mate’s slack.

As highlighted by the image, below, the pair were in no-man’s land for the opening goal against Alan Pardew’s team towards the end of August, picking up nobody in particular, simply hovering around the 18-yard box.

The pair have been caught ball-watching often this season

These are world-class players, but they have not been playing football at that level so far. The players will know more than most that their inefficiency will continue to get punished time and again at the top level until they resolve it themselves, otherwise Mourinho might just have to drop them in favour of Robert Kenedy, or a few of the other rising starlets eager for a taste of the action.

If there is one area Chelsea have looked particularly dangerous in so far, however, it’s when they have (rarely) counter-attacked through the double pivot. Ultimately, the more they continue to let players pass around them without making more of a concerted effort to intercept plays and instigate attacks on the break, the less likely they are to score.

After all, the one normally key characteristic of a very good team is that they play for each other, give their all for the cause and are not afraid to put in the extra effort to make not only themselves but their colleagues look good, too.

At the moment, that certainly isn’t happening. Perhaps we’ll see a different approach after the international break. We’ll just have to wait and see.