Chelsea Women have done something the men’s team can’t do this season
Chelsea Women achieved yesterday what the men’s team and Xabi Alonso have been striving to accomplish since the start of the season.
That is a clean sheet. And while the women won in style, missing out on the ugly win that fans and the manager have been calling for, the men’s team will be dreaming of the day when there’s a zero next to their opponents’ name on the final score.
Two Chelsea teams, two very different defensive stories.
Sonia Bompastor’s Chelsea Women delivered a ruthless 5-0 demolition of Manchester United at Leigh Sports Village to secure their first clean sheet of the Women’s Super League season. Goals from Sjoeke Nüsken, Keira Walsh, Lauren James, Ellie Carpenter and Lucy Bronze put United to the sword, with Chelsea rarely looking troubled as they produced a composed and disciplined defensive display against a strong United side.
It was Chelsea’s second league game of the campaign, following a nervy opening-weekend draw with Aston Villa, when they surrendered a late equaliser despite dominating for long spells. There was no repeat of that lapse this time. Chelsea were clinical at one end and resolute at the other, turning a potentially tricky away fixture into a statement victory.
Contrast that with the men’s team, who simply cannot buy a clean sheet, a luxury Chelsea fans may soon be putting on their Christmas list if this trend continues into the winter months.
Xabi Alonso’s side drew 2-2 with Hull City at Stamford Bridge, meaning they have now conceded at least two goals in each of their four Premier League matches this season. That is nine goals conceded in four league games, and 12 in total against Premier League opposition this campaign.
There is no need to sound the alarm bells just yet, though. The back three are still very much a work in progress, with Alonso continuing to test and tweak his defensive setup.
However, more importantly, Chelsea have gone 20 consecutive league games without keeping a clean sheet, stretching back to last season, a run that stretches back before Alonso's arrival and, remarkably, is the first time in 65 years the club have endured such a drought.
Alonso didn't hold back afterwards, branding his players "soft" after newly-promoted Hull twice pegged Chelsea back, including a needless equaliser from a bouncing long ball that caught out Jorrel Hato. New signing Emiliano Martinez has now conceded seven goals in just three appearances since his move from Aston Villa. Morgan Rogers was the only shining light for Chelsea on Saturday as his contribution this season hasn't gone unnoticed.
The contrast between Chelsea's men's and women's squads right now comes down to game management, not firepower. While both score at will, the women demonstrate the defensive discipline and grit to see games out. The men, by contrast, repeatedly leave the door open for their opponents. Sorting out this vulnerability, what Alonso identified as a "big theme", is urgent before it bleeds crucial points in the standings and losing hope on that top four finish this year.
