Southampton 1 - 2 Chelsea : 5 Talking Points

Chelsea beat Southampton 2-1 in their EPL tieSouthampton welcomed Chelsea to the St Marys with the hope of keeping up their good form and further their campaign towards managing to secure a place in the European competitions next year.On the other end of the spectrum, Chelsea were looking to continue their revival under Guus Hiddink and push for a top table spot.Southampton took the lead through Shane Long in the first half only for Fabregas to level things up in the most innocuous of ways, late in the second half, which later saw Branislav Ivanovic head home in the 89th minute to put the Blues in the lead.Here are the talking points for the game.

#1 Chelsea start poorly, again

Chelsea once again started poorly and conceded a goal in the first half

While Chelsea’s performances under new manager Guus Hiddink have certainly seen a massive improvement from their exploits at the start of the year under Jose Mourinho, the Blues are still far from being back to their ruthless best.

This is exemplified in their inability to conisistently start well. The game against Southampton was just another addition to the ever-growing list of games which have seen the Blues thoroughly outplayed in the first half or so before they finally get into the game as it progresses.

Luckily for them, this has failed to manifest itself into conceding goals so far, but the fact still remains is that Hiddink’s side remain precariously vulnerable when the refree’s whistle goes off at the start of the game.

The Blues looked clumsy and unimaginative during the majority of the first half and were lucky to only concede late in the half as a result of a defensive error.

If Hiddink’s side is to steadily progress to the top half of the table, then they must learn to start well, as not only does that shield against starting the game on the backfoot but also provides a great foundation to build on, such as their game against Newcastle last game week.

#2 Southampton\'s defence- One of the league\'s best

Southampton’s defence has been impeccable so far in the EPL

Southampton have certainly shown a marked improvement on their early season form and have steadily been progressing up the table to where their fans think they belong – challenging for the European spots.

Much of this is down to The Saints’ defence. With Koeman switching to a three-man central defensive set-up, Southampton have managed to consistently maintain clean sheets in games with ease.

Frazer Forster’s new club record of minutes without conceding is certainly down to his talents between the sticks, but nobody can deny the fact that he has been greatly helped with his defenders marshalling opposition teams with ease.

Such was the case in this game where, Southampton’s defence, led by Jose Fonte, successfully managed to neutralize any attack Chelsea threw at them and forced the Blues to look for novel ways to try and break them down – something that’s much easier said than done, and while they did eventually concede, it was their first in 6 games – they are still very much a force to be reckoned with defensively.

#3 Ivanovic is better as a centre back

Ivanovic has thrived in his new role and has looked much more commanding and controlled at the bed of Chelsea’s defence

While much has been made of Chelsea’s woeful campaign this year with special mention given to their crumbling defence, one man was criticised far more than the others – Branislav Ivanovic.

The Serbian was woeful at the start of the year where he was caught out of position on numerous occasions, apart from getting beaten for pace a dozen times each game, and was rightfully dropped from the side.

However, the Serbian has shown a marked improvement in his defensive conquests. With John Terry out, Hiddink has been forced to turn to the Serbian as a centre back as opposed to his usual right back slot.

Ivanovic has thrived in this role and has looked much more commanding and controlled at the bed of Chelsea’s defence.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise, as Ivanovic was originally a centre back, and it’s only because he so seamlessly transitioned into that new right back role that we are now accustomed to thinking of him in that context.

With age catching up to the Serbian, this transition to the centre of the defence could be just what he needed.

#4 Oriol Romeu provides a masterclass

Romeu displayed just how vital he is to Southampton with a performance that would have done many a midfielder proud

Oriol Romeu was brought into Chelsea’s setup from Barcelona with claims of him being the next Sergio Busquets.

While the Spaniard was expected to do much wearing the Chelsea shirt, limited opportunities during his tenure for the Blues seemed to have stifled a once-promising career.

A move to Southampton this year, however, has reaped fantastic rewards for both Romeu and the Saints, with the young defensive midfielder becoming a vital cog in Koeman’s 5-man midfield.

Romeu displayed just how vital he is to Southampton with a performance that would have done many a midfielder proud.

He consistently managed to break up plays in the middle of the pitch whilst setting up a majority of Southampton’s attacks deep in their own half.

The young midfielder looked calm, composed and confident throughout the game and while the jury may still be out of the Busquets comparisons, this performance will certainly do no harm.

#5 Baba Rahman must improve defensively

If he is to have a future at Chelsea, the Ghanaian needs to show a marked improvement in his defending

It would be fair to say that Baba Rahman had a very quiet first half of the season under Guus Hiddink.

The left back has certainly seen much more of the pitch and while his attacking contributions at times have shown why Chelsea decided to bring him in this summer, his defensive contributions have been severely lacking.

Many have questioned the Ghanaian's defensive capabilities and his performance against Southampton will only raise those concerns.

Directly at fault for Southampton’s opener, that lapse in concentration was a mistake waiting to happen as the Chelsea man looked sloppy both on and off the pitch and never looked ready to marshall Targett on the wing.

If he is to have a future at Chelsea, the Ghanaian needs to show a marked improvement in his defending or Chelsea will be forced to look elsewhere for a permanent left-back.