Sunday 25 September 2016 23:07, UK
After another disappointing defeat, this time at hands of Arsenal, the Sunday Supplement panel believe Chelsea could be in the middle of a defensive crisis.
Goals by Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil gave Arsenal a dominant win at the Emirates, following Chelsea's defeat by Liverpool last Friday and a draw at Swansea a fortnight ago.
It leaves them in eighth place with 10 points from their opening six games, and The Times' Matt Dickinson says that while Chelsea are not in a full-blown crisis, their defensive situation is worrying.
"A defensive crisis, that's for sure," Dickinson said. "The weird thing yesterday is to see the same mistakes. When you realise you're doing something wrong in the first five minutes - playing from the back - and you think: 'Okay, this isn't working,' but it was like the highlights were on a constant loop.
"Gary Cahill's head seems to have gone at the moment, although [Branislav] Ivanovic was worse, which is saying something. How Ivanovic is still in the team just shows this is a squad with a big problem.
"There must be a kid, they've got 40 players on loan, that is a better right-back at the moment. Even [N'Golo] Kante had people running off him.
"We don't quite know yet what type of team Conte is trying to build. There was talk when he came in whether he was going to go for a back three, would he go 4-3-3?
"It seems he's started off with a sort of old-school Chelsea, 4-2-3-1, with people telling me who know him he doesn't believe in that system, that he wants to change that system. But change it to what?"
Cahill's form has been criticised of late, and the Daily Mail's Martin Samuel believes the England defender works better with team-mate John Terry beside him.
Samuel also criticised Eden Hazard for his showing on Saturday, and says defending from the front is a big problem for Conte's side.
"Cahill needs Terry. Chelsea need Terry. Trying to get rid of John Terry last season, which the club were obviously trying to do but Conte stopped it, was one of the most unfathomable decisions I can remember in football. He's so clearly the best defender there.
"It doesn't help when you've got guys like Eden Hazard not tracking back. Arsenal's second goal, as lovely as it was, Hazard is an interested bystander.
"You can't have that. As good a footballer as Eden Hazard is, there's no room in modern football for a guy who lets others run off him. It's a big problem for them."
