EPL Top four review: Where do Chelsea need to strengthen?

Where do Manchester City need to strengthen?

With the international break well under way, now is the perfect time to touch base and assess how the top teams across the Premier League have performed in the opening twelve games and just where they may need to strengthen ahead of the January transfer window.

Manchester City sit in top spot having failed to put a foot wrong so far this season, showing their usual fluency in attack in tandem with a strong defensive unit. Their emphatic win in the Manchester Derby highlighted the strength of Pep Guardiola’s side, who managed over 40 passes between themselves before Ilkay Gundogan delicately prodded in from close range to earn the bragging rights. Following closely behind are Liverpool and Chelsea, both of whom have also made unbeaten starts to their respective seasons.

Despite failing to show the attacking prowess and fast transition that made them so exhilarating to watch in 2017/18, Jurgen Klopp’s side have adopted a more pragmatic approach, and displayed the traits of title contenders. Gone are the days of a shaky back-four that looked capable of shooting themselves in the foot even from thoroughly advantageous scorelines. In their place, a regimented defence marshalled by the authority and dominance of Virgil van Dijk, who has brought the best out of his teammates, shipping a measly five goals in the league compared to the seventeen conceded at this stage last season.

Chelsea deserve enormous credit for the way in which they’ve adapted to life under Maurizio Sarri and are the only English side to be unbeaten in all competitions at this stage. The Blues have regained their mojo under new management, with Eden Hazard taking up his usual position as the talisman figure to put them into contention for the title.

Under the radar slightly have been Spurs, who have bagged nine wins so far to put themselves three points ahead of rivals Arsenal. Although not considered to be a genuine threat for the title, Pochettino has once again made a good start despite limited resources.

So, where do the top-four teams need to strengthen on the evidence provided by the opening twelve games of the campaign? In this third piece, we look at unbeaten Chelsea.

Despite only conceding eight goals in the league so far, Chelsea would be wise to target centre-backs in January with Gary Cahill not suited to Sarri’s high line and Andreas Christensen eyeing a move elsewhere. Both Antonio Rudiger and David Luiz are capable of being very rash in the challenge, thus an authoritative leader could help ensure Chelsea retain their pleasing defensive record as they eye a surge on the title.

Who better to fulfil the role than highly sought-after Kalidou Koulibaly, who had previously been linked with Liverpool prior to their move for Virgil van Dijk? Able to bring the ball out of defence with confidence, linking with the midfield and attack, he would be ideally suited to Sarri’s high defensive line.

Completing upwards of 891 passes already this season for Napoli, his 90.3% accuracy reiterates his strength in possession while a huge frame and quickness off the ground allows him to recover in the rare instances where he is caught out.

Another fruitful avenue to explore would be an additional attacking recruit to alleviate pressure on Eden Hazard.

The Belgian has made a strong start to the season but with opponents targeting him as the danger man, Sarri will need to rely on his other forwards to make a telling impact.

That would allow for a more three-pronged approach as displayed by Manchester City and Liverpool, who possess three world-class attackers all capable of turning a game on its head. Alleviating the pressure on Hazard may even provide him with more freedom to roam in and around the danger area, giving the opponents other avenues to consider in their defending rather than one man.