Chelsea star reveals morale is low at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea’s three game winless run is starting to affect the overall morale of the team.

César Azpilicueta admitted in an interview that the mood of the team isn’t great at the moment. This came straight after an entertaining 3-3 draw with Roma who were 2-0 down in the match at one point. The Premier League champions don’t appear to be as strong this season as a lack of sufficient squad depth and a bigger fixture list start to hurt them.

It’s unusual for a player to admit that a team has an issue such as this due to the potential advantage it offers the opposition. This is especially important when considering the quality of the opposition; Watford have impressed this season under Marco Silva and could challenge Chelsea in this game. The lack of confidence in the Blues squad will give Silva a way to boost his team for the match.

Chelsea’s recent poor run of form will start to worry Conte especially if they don’t beat Watford. Manchester City completely dominated them, as was expected prior to the match, but Conte got his in-game decisions wrong. Álvaro Morata’s injury was unfortunate, however, Conte’s decision to bring on Willian didn’t give them a proper outlet to get out of their own half. This was unusual for a coach who is usually excellent at tweaking his team during a match.

The Blues were awful against Crystal Palace as they allowed Roy Hodgson’s men to press them out of the game. They were also poor against Roma, even though it was exciting, because they conceded two sloppy goals. Edin Džeko’s volley couldn’t be helped, though, as it was a stunning individual goal. They have Eden Hazard to thank for even coming away with a point.

Ideal for Watford

The intersection of various factors mean that this could be the ideal time for Watford to play Chelsea. It isn’t often that a Chelsea team is lacking confidence and this could mean that they lack intensity defensively. At their best, they play with a certain amount of smart aggression which allows them to stifle the opposition before hitting them on the break. Lacking the ability to absorb the opposition attacks makes them a lot weaker as shown against Roma.

Chelsea also have a significant injury list that limits Conte’s options in key areas. N’Golo Kanté is unavailable with his ability to break up opposition attacks being sorely missed against Roma.

Victor Moses is out due to a hamstring issue which means Davide Zappacosta will step in and he was run ragged by Roma’s Aleksandar Kolarov. Midfield is the main area of concern though with Tiémoué Bakayoko and David Luiz both having minor concerns and Danny Drinkwater still out.

Next: Conte admits David Luiz experiment failed

In complete contrast, Watford come into this game boosted by their victory over Arsenal. They were second best in that game, but were still able to come away with a victory due to Arsenal’s defensive frailties. Fresh from that victory and with the knowledge that Chelsea currently have major issues, Watford could easily come away with a shock result. This would just add to Silva’s burgeoning reputation.

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