Defense spearheading Chelsea's success
The age-old saying goes, “defense wins championships.” After the Seattle Seahawks’ domination of the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII, we were reminded of the saying’s validity. The phrase seems to transcend sports. A deep and talented pitching staff along with a solid defense has been a recipe for success for many World Series champions. In the National Basketball Association, the Miami Heat’s suffocating defense has led them to back-to-back rings. Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James are all household names, but it’s their defense that often gets overlooked. Their size and speed allows for blocked shots, steals, and intercepted passes into quick and easy baskets. Their athleticism may grab headlines for spectacular dunks, but it’s their defense that shows the true nature of how athletic they really are. Even across the Atlantic Ocean in the Premier League, defense reigns supreme. Much like the Heat, who makes a living capitalizing off of turnovers and scoring in transition, Chelsea is playing championship-caliber soccer starting with its defense. After holding Manchester City scoreless at home for the first time in over two years, Chelsea is sitting in third-place, and just three points behind first-place Arsenal. Chelsea has scored the fewest goals of any team in the top four (44 through 24 games), but has conceded a league-fewest 20 goals. Coach Jose Mourinho’s team may get attention from its explosive offensive talents such as Eden Hazard, William, Oscar and Samuel Eto’o, but the Blues’ defense has carried the team for most of the season. The all-English center back pairing of John Terry and Gary Cahill has proven to be top notch. Terry has regained form after many thought he was too old to play at the highest level. His experience and leadership has truly made Cahill a better player and surly will play a big part in the England team in Brazil this summer. Dropping Ashley Cole to the bench, in favor of Cesar Azpilicueta was highly criticized at first, but now many are praising Mourinho’s decision. For Mourinho, Cole didn’t do enough in terms of defending. The left-back is always dangerous in attack, but he has lost a couple steps and was often caught out of position leaving Chelsea vulnerable at the back. Mourinho requires a lot from his players, especially on defense. Their attacking stars such as Hazard and William also shine in their defensive duties. Juan Mata, who was recently sold to Manchester United, was too one-dimensional. Mata’s playmaking ability proved to be surplus for Mourinho, instead choosing to start players who cannot only create goals, but prevent them. Mourinho even has David Luiz playing hard on defense. Luiz’s attacking style of play often has Mourinho looking for other options at center back, but the Brazilian has played well in a more advanced central defensive midfielder role.
