Chelsea analysis: Olivier Giroud and Eden Hazard bid farewell to 'false nine' but Antonio Conte no closer to staying

1/26
Simon Johnson12 February 2018

Eden Hazard was Chelsea's talisman once again as West Brom were beaten to move back into the Premier League top four.

The Belgian linked up with January arrival Olivier Giroud for the opener before adding his second after Victor Moses got in on the act to complete a routine win.

But has the pressure subsided on Antonio Conte after a week of speculation following back-to-back defeats? How damaging is Daniel Sturridge's second-minute injury?

Simon Johnson was at Stamford Bridge to assess the key talking points...

REUTERS

Chelsea relieved to have Christensen back

For all the talk of what's gone wrong at Chelsea lately, their recent problems started the moment Christensen limped off against Bournemouth.

The score was 0-0 at the time and the Blues' backline didn't look so assured afterwards as was shown by the eventual 3-0 scoreline in the visitors' favour.

It was the same story last week in the 4-1 collapse at Watford. No Christensen equalled, no solidity.

After an inevitably nervous start from the men in blue this evening, Christensen's recovery from a hamstring strain soon paid dividends.

The crucial interventions were there when needed and also some customary carrying of the ball out from the back.

There was one moment of alarm as Salomon Rondon pushed him off the ball to get a clear shot on goal in the second half. The Dane wanted a free kick, but Lee Mason ignored the protests.

It says apt that with Barcelona coming to town next week, that Christensen was withdrawn after the break in order to save him for bigger tests to come.

Getty Images

Sturridge's World Cup dream looks doomed

Sturridge is not the most popular player in the game for some reason, but even his fiercest critic must feel some kind of sympathy for him.

The 28-year-old swapped a top four club in Liverpool for bottom side West Brom last month in order to get more first team football.

His main motivation for the loan, apart from getting more minutes on the pitch, was to force his way back into the England reckoning in time for the World Cup this summer.

Four years ago he was leading the line for the Three Lions in Brazil, but a variety of injury problems has caused his career to stagnate.

So the sight of the former Chelsea striker having to limp off within three minutes of the kick-off was a sorry sight.

Sturridge looked crestfallen as he headed to the sidelines and one suspects time is running out for him to prove to England coach Gareth Southgate that he should be seriously considered in the near future.

Getty Images

Conte should say goodbye to the 'false nine'

It was noticeable just how much more comfortable Chelsea, and Eden Hazard in particular, looked with a target man up front.

Coach Antonio Conte can't just blame injury problems to the likes of Alvaro Morata on playing the system.

He has had other options like Michy Batshuayi - now impressing on loan at Borussia Dortmund - to call upon and last week new signing Olivier Giroud started on the bench at Vicarage Road.

Gianfranco Zola told Standard Sport earlier in the day that asking Hazard to lead the line was having a negative effect on the Belgian.

Much to the relief of Chelsea fans, Conte opted to give Giroud his first start and play Hazard a bit deeper.

Hazard was everywhere and combined with Giroud for the opening goal. Even when the former Arsenal man tired, there was fit again Morata to take his place and set up Hazard for his second and Chelsea's third.

AFP/Getty Images

Little has changed regarding Conte's future

A 3-0 home victory and return to fourth place will lead some to question what all the fuss has been about over the past few weeks.

It's true that by most club's standards, Chelsea are far from being in a crisis and have the kind of issues that many would envy.

A fifth-round FA Cup tie at home to Hull, a last 16 Champions League tie with Barcelona and a close battle with Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham to finish in the top four is usually cause for excitement.

But victory against the bottom club isn't going to erase Conte's discontent with the board and vice versa.

The ideal scenario for all parties is that the Italian leaves by mutual consent in the summer with something to cheer about from this campaign.

A top-four finish and Champions League qualification for next season will be enough to fit the bill and leave the club in good hands for his replacement.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in