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Chelsea 1-0 Southampton: Match takeaways

By Nikos Lemanis

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 16: N'Golo Kantea of Chelsea nd Oriol Romeu of Southampton battle for posession during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Southampton at Stamford Bridge on December 16, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 16: N'Golo Kantea of Chelsea nd Oriol Romeu of Southampton battle for posession during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Southampton at Stamford Bridge on December 16, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 16: Gary Cahill of Chelsea holds up Manolo Gabbiadini of Southampton as he competes for the ball with N’Golo Kante of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Southampton at Stamford Bridge on December 16, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 16: Gary Cahill of Chelsea holds up Manolo Gabbiadini of Southampton as he competes for the ball with N’Golo Kante of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Southampton at Stamford Bridge on December 16, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /

Goalscoring threat

This is the first time Southampton have failed to score since the 3-0 defeat at Liverpool on November 18th.

That said, they have only scored more than a single goal in one of the six matches since that date. It is a step in the right direction for a team that couldn’t buy a goal for much of the early season though.

A slight improvement in the goal count isn’t having much of an impact though. Plus it is more a result of Charlie Austin’s rich vein of form than of better team cohesion or tactics.

Personnel changes are needed next month. Most importantly, the team needs creative players who have the mindset to click with Gabbiadini.

Once again the Italian striker worked hard on Saturday afternoon, but was criminally underserved by his teammates. We know Gabbiadini has the ability to find the net, but he needs a level of support and service that he has not received so far this season.

The Chelsea defence did look markedly more nervous following Austin’s introduction though, resulting in a couple of decent chances. But the limited ability to threaten teams further highlights the need for a shake up in January.