Lille manager Jocelyn Gourvennec claimed Chelsea have one weakness that his team can exploit in Tuesday’s Champions League clash.
Following the abolition of the away goals rule in the UEFA competition, the Blues will arguably have an even bigger home advantage in the first leg against Lille.
Rather than worrying about conceding goals, they can focus on possibly getting a comfortable lead ahead of the trip to France next month.
For Lille, on the other hand, keeping a clean sheet may arguably be a priority.
Interestingly, Gourvennec insisted that he will not instruct his team to sit back since he believes Chelsea are prone to leaving space in behind when busy attacking.
“Chelsea are strong in both areas,” the Lille boss said in the pre-match press conference on Monday (via RMC Sport).
“In possession, they have a big technical foundation.
“They have very strong attacks from the flanks and also strong defensively. They are a very complete team.
“But they attack a lot, [and] they expose themselves [at the back].
“We will have to be solid, but we will have opportunities. We can’t just defend and counter.
“We also have to be able to keep the ball a little bit. Managing the slower parts of the game will be fundamental.”
According to Opta (via Whoscored), Chelsea have conceded two counter-attacking goals in the Premier League this season.
It is not exactly the worst record in the competition but still suggests a possible chink in their armour.
Although, as it stands, Chelsea will worry more about their recent striking problems than any aspect of their defence.
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