Abraham Misfires, Keeper Worries And CL Hopes In The Balance: 3 Things We Learned From Leicester V Chelsea

Content Editor

4 years ago

Tags: Chelsea, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Leicester, Tammy Abraham, Tottenham Hotspur

Chelsea could have easily lost against Leicester at the King Power on Saturday but the draw could turn out to be a decent result in the Blues’ quest for Champions League qualification.

The Foxes had a number of chances in the second half, and while manager Frank Lampard would have been glad about the resolve shown to come away with a point, he knows his team rode its luck at times as well.

The Chelsea boss made some big calls on the day that didn’t pay off, and he will have a lot to think about heading into the winter break.

Press the “next page” as we look at three things we learned from the match:

1) Chelsea may regret failing to sign another striker

Tammy Abraham did not have much joy in front of goal against Leicester. His decision making and hold up play need to improve to become a top class striker, although he was still a handful for the Foxes defence.

The 22-year-old now has just two goals in his last ten Premier League games so confidence is playing a part in his recent displays. The decision not to sign a new forward in the January transfer window could come back to haunt the Blues.

2) Lampard’s decision on Kepa could backfire

Dropping Kepa straight after the close of the transfer window was a perplexing decision by Lampard. Surely, it would have been wiser to do it earlier and sign a replacement in January rather than benching him after the window shuts?

Selecting Willy Caballero didn’t pay off with the Argentine at fault for Leicester’s second goal, coming off his line to retrieve a cross before retreating. He was unable to save Ben Chilwell’s shot due to being out of position for his initial error. Will Lampard have to reinstate Kepa at some point? We shall have to wait and see.

3) A decent draw but the battle for fourth has tightened

If Chelsea had been on a better run of form, a draw against third-placed Leicester would have been a good result in normal circumstances.

The Blues are still four points ahead of fifth-place but Tottenham’s win against Manchester City means the gap has closed. The race for the Champions League places is very much back in the balance.