Frank Lampard Chelsea 2019-20Getty Images

Transfer time? Everton brutally expose Chelsea squad's shortcomings

Frank Lampard's Chelsea are struggling. It's just taken a lot longer than anyone expected.

The Blues surpassed expectations for so long with their new manager and squad filled with academy products that some people started to take what they were doing for granted.

But as Lampard pointed out after Saturday's dismal 3-1 defeat at Everton, "If anyone thought this year would be a breeze, we'd win six, seven or eight games on the bounce, that was misguided."

Article continues below

There were always going to be tough times with such a young and unbalanced squad that the incoming coach was unable to strengthen during the summer because of the club's transfer ban.

Chelsea's problems are, therefore, unsurprising. And won't be easy to fix either.

They aren't just struggling to kill teams off or poor at set-pieces; their issues are more deep-rooted.

And they were exposed at Goodison Park, where Chelsea conceded early in both halves, and defended poorly throughout.

Furthermore, they never looked like turning the game around after Mateo Kovacic pulled a goal back, despite the fact that both Callum Hudson-Odoi and Christian Pulisic were deployed as wing-backs during a gung-ho approach in the closing stages.

"They were very happy to give us all the ball," Lampard conceded afterwards. "When we gave away a third goal late on, we gave ourselves a problem."

And Chelsea had no solutions. They could find no cure to so many self-inflicted wounds. "Some of the goals were really poor," Lampard lamented.

Richarlison Chelsea Everton PS

It wasn't just down to the defence either. There was a general lack of effort and physicality within the visitors' ranks. Worse still, Lampard felt his players lacked desire.

"You dominate a game with possession," he explained. "But when you play a team with a lot of spirit and in a moment in which they are fighting for the interim manager (Duncan Ferguson) and themselves, you have got to do more than we did.

"Work rate is one thing and I expect them to match everyone on that front. But sometimes physical contact is another.

"So, if you are not going to win headers, balls are going to bounce down and you are not going to go through the man and the ball at places like Goodison, it is going to be really tough to win here.

"It was a really poor mistake from us [on the third goal]. Kepa passes it straight to Theo [Walcott] and after that there were two more mistakes. We can't defend like that.

"If ever there was a game that shows how far we need to go, then it was today."

Indeed, all of Chelsea's deficiencies were on show on Merseyside: their difficulty in winning duels against powerful forwards, their susceptibility to rapid counterattacks, and their propensity for making costly unforced errors.

Ferguson, in his first game after taking temporary charge of Everton following Marco Silva's midweek dismissal, clearly learned some lessons from West Ham's win at Stamford Bridge last weekend by inviting Chelsea to attack.

Even Pep Guardiola's possession-orientated Manchester City uncharacteristically allowed the Blues to have the ball for long periods when they met at the Etihad a fortnight ago.

It proved a masterstroke. Not only did it allow them to hit Chelsea on the break, the champions also limited their visitors to certain areas of the pitch by packing their defence and doubling up on in-form duo Pulisic and Willian so as not to allow the wingers to cut inside.

Chelsea's issues are compounded by problems at full-back, which both Everton and West Ham exploited to impressive effect.

Mason Mount Chelsea Everton PSGetty/Goal

Emerson and Marcos Alonso have already been dropped for poor performances but Cesar Azpilicueta was caught out several times at Goodison. Reece James, meanwhile, is a bright young talent but he is obviously far from the finished article.

Chelsea also have a soft centre, with both Andreas Christensen and Kurt Zouma bullied by Dominic Calvert-Lewin in much the same manner as Michail Antonio, another physical forward, the week before.

The midfield must also accept their share of the blame for the Everton defeat for giving away possession far too easily, and just like their defensive colleagues, they too were outbattled at key moments.

Even Tammy Abraham wasn't beyond reproach, after failing to trouble Michael Keane and Mason Holgate, a central defensive pairing that has struggled all season long, while Pulisic, Willian and Mason Mount were also accused by Lampard of not being brave enough.

"In the first half, we created a lot of chances but we don't want to shoot enough," the former goalscoring midfielder argued. "We dribble into their box and we try to beat someone else – we need to shoot more."

This is advice that will need to be taken on board – and fast, with Chelsea facing Lille in midweek when only a victory will guarantee qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League.

Chelsea have had a number of setbacks since the last international break but failing to progress in Europe would represent a major blow for Lampard and his young players.

Indeed, while there is a new emphasis on homegrown heroes at Stamford Bridge, that faith in youth will be tested if Chelsea's poor run of form (three defeats and just one win from the past five games) extends into the New Year, when the club will be allowed to re-enter the transfer market.

The Blues are clearly lacking in several areas of the pitch. The onus is now on all of the players – young and old – to prove their worth ahead of the January sales.

Advertisement