Saturday, February 17, 2024
Man City 1 - Chelsea 1
A Mea Culpa?
No, this will not be a complete reversal from my last post (and months of evidence), embracing the idea (hope) that Chelsea have finally turned a corner. I’ve been burned too many times before.
Yes, this will be a joyous post, and one that celebrates some of the contributions over the last two weeks from players I’ve openly criticized in these pages.
So in the spirit of Chelsea’s three recent performances, let’s keep the good times rolling!
I ended my last post with a pretty explicit challenge - it’s up to the players to change the narrative.
Chief in my sights was the enigmatic Conor Gallagher. Despite clearly being the hardest worker on the team, a player and personality who could be counted upon to demonstrate resilience and persistence, his actual contribution in terms of goal-scoring threat was essentially non-existent. Just look at these stats since last December:
So you can imagine my surprise, and delight, when he gave Chelsea an early lead against Aston Villa in a decisive FA cup match, and then scored two in a dramatic come-from-behind victory against Crystal Palace. It wasn’t just getting on the score sheet, however, it was the quality of the goals that stood out as well. Just watch this beautiful finish against world-cup winner Emiliano Martínez:
Speaking of goals going into the top corner, Enzo Fernandez would not be left out; not once but twice! Again these were beautiful goals, the second in particular rather comically discombobulating the defender:
There were plenty of spoils in defense as well though, as Axel Disasi gave Chelsea fans the celebration of a lifetime against Crystal Palace. This is the sort of passion and joy that Blues fans have been waiting to see all season:
All of this positivity culminated in a more-than-respectable performance against title stalwarts Manchester City, winning a point and holding onto a draw against a ferocious City attack. There was some disappointment, having led for most of the match and later retreating into an overly defensive strategy, but it was hard to deny that the players on the pitch didn’t play their hearts out. The aforementioned Disasi announced himself as a defender that should be taken very seriously, and I think Raheem Sterling’s goal celebration epitomized the attitude Chelsea players are taking to their up and down season at this moment in time - chill.
The manager, players, and fans alike should not be naive to think that disappointing performances remain in the past. This is still a young team with a lot more to prove, and inconsistency will likely remain a key theme for the rest of the season. But to focus only on that, especially after the recent impressive run of fixtures, would be to ignore the other key theme exerting itself at this critical point in the season - growth.
There is a sense of belief in finding goals when under pressure. There is the ability to show defensive rigidity and deny opponents chances on targets for large stretches of time. There is a more confident presence in the midfield, and a greater awareness of where to make the pass. Even the finishing, as exemplified in the above videos, has shown marked improvement.
After publishing my last post, seeped with negativity, I had to chuckle to myself; Chelsea, and the player performances in particular, found a way to change the narrative just when my cynicism was at its highest. All is not doom and gloom. To be honest, it just feels good to be writing with a sense of optimism for once, and for now, I’m content to leave it at that.
Moment of the Match
Sterling puts Chelsea ahead
What a smooth counter attack!
Jackson’s pass must be commended, beautifully connecting with Sterling in stride, who then showed an otherworldly composure to redirect himself and find the bottom corner.
Felt like I was watching the old Chelsea.
Armchair Manager
You’re a goal up, away, against arguably the best team in Europe.
You’re essentially confronted with 2 plausible options for how to see this match out:
Rely on your existing game plan - Maintain a similar formation, control the midfield where you can, but push your attack forward and make an earnest push towards a second goal to seal the game away. You will be vulnerable in defense, but far more credible (and potentially punishing) in attack.
Adopt a more defensive mindset - Change the formation into a low block, and sub out attackers in favor of defenders with fresh legs. You will not control possession, but you will make it quite challenging for the attack to be successful, regardless of their numbers or volume of chances.
It’s a bit of an over-simplification, but Pochettino more or less chose the more defensive option in the last 30 minutes against City. It’s hard to fault him knowing the talent and motivation on the other side of the pitch.
That City’s lone goal was a bit of fortune, a bounce that landed directly in Rodri’s path, is in some ways the story of City - you create your own luck. By giving them control of possession, it was inevitable that Chelsea was going to face wave after wave of attack.
Though the Blues defended admirably, this felt a bit self-defeating after a short while, and I was left wondering how much more dangerous we would be if we still had some credible attackers on the pitch who were fed passes rather than impossible long balls cleared by defenders.
Chelsea were fortunate. Haaland missed a few chances that he would normally put away. The defensive strategy was understandable given the opponent and the circumstances, but in the future, I hope to see Chelsea stay more aggressive to the end, and find some opportunities to put away the match.
Read more insightful analysis (as seen below) in The Athletic:
