Chelsea told they still have three glaring problems despite Champions League win vs Benfica

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While getting a first win since returning to Champions League competition is a positive, Chelsea have been warned they still have issues to address.

There would have been a feeling of relief passing through the Chelsea dressing room on Tuesday night, given the pressure that was starting to build after some disappointing league results.

Enzo Maresca was getting the brunt of the criticism, but the message from higher up was one of solidarity and complete trust in the manager.

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That being said, Maresca has work to do. This Chelsea side is far better than their eighth-place standing suggests.

Former Arsenal and West Ham player Stewart Robson has suggested areas for improvement.

Stewart Robson names three problems for Chelsea

A narrow 1-0 victory unfortunately wasn’t enough to halt the criticism that has been flying in Chelsea’s direction as of late.

Following the win, Robson was talking to the ESPN FC crew about where Chelsea have been struggling.

He says: “Chelsea at the moment have got one or two problems. They at times pass it too slowly. They give it away cheaply in in bad areas. And they have problems defensively.”

It’s hard to argue with any of the critiques put forth by Robson. Chelsea have missed Levi Colwill’s composure and leadership at the back. It could be argued that all three issues raised are solved (or at least helped) by his presence.

But he won’t be back any time soon, so solutions will need to be found elsewhere.

Chelsea’s issues could be much worse

One shudders to think what things would be like if Chelsea didn’t have a top three defensive midfielder in Europe in the side.

The sloppiness at the back and tendency to throw away possession are often nullified by the incredible presence of Moises Caicedo in front of the back four.

Again, against Benfica, he was everywhere.

Chelsea’s defence has gotten a lot of stick so far this season. And rightfully so. But ponder for a moment how much worse it might be if not for the Colombian’s protection.

Cole Palmer was recently compared to Virgil van Dijk in terms of importance to the side, but could Caicedo be even more crucial? If he was to miss significant time, Chelsea’s defensive struggles could get a lot worse. Maresca needs to monitor that one closely.