The Blues ended a run of defeats against the Ukrainian side, but there
are continued worries for the Portuguese manager, as the team lacked an
attacking spark
Chants in support of Jose Mourinho rang around Stamford Bridge throughout
the 2-1 win over Dynamo Kyiv but, despite ending a barren run of three
consecutive defeats, the victory left as many questions as it gave
answers.
A Willian free-kick gave the Stamford Bridge club the
win in the second half, following Aleksandar Dragovic netting both an
own goal to put Chelsea 1-0 up and then scoring the equaliser to peg
them back.
And after the Blues managed just their second win in nine games,
Goal takes a look at the three main headaches continuing to trouble manager Mourinho...
EDEN PROVING A HAZARD
Before the match, the Portuguese coach insisted he has years ahead of
him at the club, with captain John Terry concurring. Doubts persist
about the manager’s continued employment but there are now also
questions about the future of Eden Hazard, 2014-15’s player of the
season, after the Belgian was once again left out of the starting
line-up.
The win may have given Mourinho some added time, yet
his already strained relationship with the club’s star player looks
increasingly close to its nadir.
Following the heights of last
season, Hazard’s drop off so far this campaign has been one of the more
worrying aspects of Chelsea’s fall from grace. Without a goal so far and
with just two assists in the Premier League, the forward is, on current
form, failing to justify a continued place in the team, despite his
undoubted quality.
Mourinho, who has recently criticised
Hazard’s failure to track back, looks befuddled, not knowing whether to
use the carrot or the stick with the Belgian as the relationship between
manager and player deteriorates.
Chelsea managed to overcome
Dynamo on Wednesday, but it took an own goal from Aleksandar Dragovic
and another Willian free-kick, rather than any particularly inspired
creative play from the hosts. In Hazard, though, Chelsea have a player
with the ability to turn a game and if the Portuguese manager can no
longer coach the blistering performances of last season out of the
Belgian, the player’s time at Stamford Bridge may be drawing to a close.
MISFIRING DIEGO COSTA
Elsewhere,
the worries persist for Mourinho and Chelsea. Diego Costa, who at his
assertive and dominating best toyed with defenders last season, looks to
have lost his spark. This was another ineffective performance from the
Spain international.
Further north, Louis van Gaal has been
criticised for his continued selection of the previously misfiring Wayne
Rooney, but Costa’s drop in form has been just as pronounced, though
his place in the Chelsea starting line-up looks secure.
His
main contribution to the victory over Dynamo was a meek fall to the
ground in the first-half, following the most minor of touches from
Dragovic. Costa was adamant that he should have been awarded a penalty
but his appeals were turned down by referee Pavel Kralovec.
With a competent if unspectacular back-up on the bench in the form of
Loic Remy, Mourinho may have to act sooner rather than later. His side
are misfiring, no more than their first-choice striker and with goals in
short supply, Chelsea are desperate for some flashes of life from
Costa. They cannot rely on Willian’s free-kick prowess for much longer.
DEFENSIVE QUESTIONS
The
third of Chelsea’s prominent trio of reliable performers to look bereft
of confidence this season is Branislav Ivanovic, who is nearing a
return to fitness, following a hamstring injury. The Serbian defender,
his robust and imperious self last season, has looked worryingly shaky
and dangerously susceptible to pace in his appearances this season.
Ivanovic’s form and injuries have caused numerous reshuffles of the
Chelsea back-line, with Kurt Zouma at right-back for the defeat to
Liverpool. Against Dynamo, though, Zouma returned to the centre, with
Gary Cahill dropped, Cesar Azpilicueta moving to right-back and summer
signing Baba Rahman entering the fray on the left.
Mourinho now
finds himself with a quandary, with Rahman solid against the talented
Andriy Yarmolenko but Ivanovic known as one of the manager’s biggest
supporters and most loyal charges. Prolonging the Serbs absence may
cause another rift in the squad but selecting an out of form defender
could have disastrous consequences.
