Chelsea 0-0 Arsenal: Three talking points from Stamford Bridge

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Arsenal earned a credible draw from the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Chelsea. The Gunners started the evening as big outsiders when the teams were announced. Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez, Laurent Koscielny and Petr Cech were all not in the starting eleven. It was a particular surprise that Sanchez wasn’t starting and it feared many to suggest it might indicate he is set to leave the club.

The home side picked a near full-strength team and gave another chance to misfiring Alvaro Morata. The Spaniard made the headlines last week against Arsenal in the Premier League as he missed a host of great chances. Chelsea had reason to be motivated for this tie, as it was Arsenal that beat them in the FA Cup final last season. Antonio Conte won’t have forgotten that, but he will be angry at his team’s performance. They didn’t play with enough intensity and were wasteful in the final third. This tie is delicately poised ahead of the second leg. Here are three talking points from Stamford Bridge:

Eden Hazard isn’t as influential as he needs to be

The Chelsea attacker is a difficult player to judge. At times, he can be sensational and do things with the ball that other players can only dream of doing. However, he can be a frustrating player to watch and the last few months have been underwhelming at best. It was difficult for him to start the season late due to injury. He didn’t have a pre-season and was expected to come straight back in to team at a high standard.

This Chelsea team is significantly worse than the one that one the title. They are predictable in attack and rely too much on Hazard to produce in the final third. When he is playing poorly, the team suffer and that was the case on Wednesday night. He completed two dribbles, two key passes and attempted one shot on goal.

In the free role given to him by Antonio Conte, he needs to be more decisive in big matches. The very best players deliver when it matters and the stage was set for Hazard against Arsenal, but he couldn’t do it. The problem with his current role is that he drops deep and wide too often, which makes it easy for the opposition defenders. He is most dangerous when he is in central areas and the manager needs to look at the current system to see if any changes can be made to get the best from the Belgian.

Life without Ozil and Sanchez looks bleak for Arsenal

Arsene Wenger will see this as a great result for his team and it is. Few people would have expected them to avoid defeat in this leg, especially after the two line-ups were announced. This was Arsenal’s third draw against Chelsea this season and that suggests that they are similar quality. However, the Blues have been the better side in all three matches and the lack of ambition showed by the visitors on Wednesday went against their traditional style.

Arsenal started the game without Ozil and Sanchez, which limited their attacking threat. Wenger realised that his team lacked creativity, so he chose to play three quick attackers and look to counter-attack. Apart from one snapshot from Alexandre Lacazette in the first-half, they offered little threat and didn’t look like scoring.

During the last 20 years, Arsenal have been renowned for their entertaining style of play. Wenger was once criticised for not having a plan b, but on Wednesday, his side was pragmatic and dug in to remain on level terms in the tie. Supporters will accept this type of performance occasionally, but it could quickly become the norm once Ozil and Sanchez depart.

Chelsea’s formation isn’t balanced

Last season, Antonio Conte showed his tactical brilliance as he changed the formation to 3-4-3 and they became unplayable as a result. They won the league title comfortably, but they have recently changed to a 3-5-2 formation and it isn’t working. Chelsea have now drawn four of their last six matches and that is indicative of their lack of balance at the time of writing.

One of the issues is that they have a three-man midfield, but it is a defensive combination and there is too much being asked of the two strikers. Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses were expected to take on a large share of the creative burden on Wednesday and that is a worry for a team expecting to challenge for major trophies.

Danny Drinkwater was signed during the recent summer transfer window and it was a puzzling transfer at the time. After seeing his first few months at Chelsea, it is even more difficult to justify his signing. He offered very little against Arsenal and was a passenger for long periods. Conte will be hoping that Ross Barkley can tilt the balance in favour of the attack, but if he doesn’t, a change back to 3-4-3 may be required.