Premier League: Chelsea 0-0 Leicester
A third consecutive scoreless draw sends Chelsea back. Do the Blues need to recruit a forward to pair with Morata?
Diego Costa left the club to Atletico Madrid and was never replaced.The attack has remained silent and Chelsea are in great danger to lose the second place in the top flight. In a very competitive league it might be time to make a move while rivals are getting stronger.
Coach Conte comments on another frustrating day:
‘I think to find an excuse or alibi, today we paid for our effort against Arsenal.
To play on Wednesday and then against a really good, physical team like Leicester, after only two days, is tough. We played with almost the same players as we did against Arsenal. My plan was to play with one team against Norwich and then these last two games with the same team. I saw a lot of players who were very tired.
We suffered a lot in the first half and at the start of the second half. When I decided to put on fresh energy (Pedro and Willian) the game changed. We tried to create chances to score without suffering defensively and win the game, but in the end I think the result was fair.
I think the problem is for the team, not only for Morata. Compared to last season we are conceding less and showing more solidity, but we haven’t had great quality in our finishing. A lot of time defenders have had chances to score but didn’t take them.
We have to try to improve in this aspect, but the problem is not just for Morata, or Batshuayi when he plays. We have to improve our quality in the last step. Don’t forget last season there were different players. We changed many players and I have to find the right balance. Against Norwich we played 3-4-3 with Willian, Pedro and Batshuayi (in attack) and Drinkwater and Bakayoko (in midfield) but we didn’t score.
‘It’s not a problem with the system. With both systems we are conceding less but scoring less than last season. The situation is very clear. We must improve with shots from outside if we want to score and win.’