Huddersfield review
Huddersfield 0 - 3 Chelsea (Kante, Jorginho, Pedro)
This weekend saw the return of premier league football, with Chelsea starting their campaign against Huddersfield. Going into the match there were many questions on the lips of Chelsea fans; Would any of our world cup stars start? What was the back four going to look like? Would Kepa make his debut? Will Hudson Odoi and Loftus Cheek get starts? Well Chelsea lined up in a way that most did not want, but had predicted. Sarri's 4-3-3 was on show with Kepa making his start in goal. The back four consisted of Dave, Luiz, Rudiger and Alsonso. Getting the nod in the middle were Kante, Jorginho and Barkley with a front 3 of Willian, Morata and Pedro.
My initial thoughts and the thoughts of many Chelsea fans were; Where is Hudson Odoi? Not even featured on the bench many feared the worst but soon it was revealed that the youngster picked up a knock in training thus was not in the match day squad. PHEW.
The game: A breakdown
Overall
On the whole this was a decent Chelsea performance. Whilst Huddersfield started strongly, the blues grew into the game - taking control of the ball and effectively snubbing out the home teams attempts at moving forward. We saw more glimpses of what Sarriball can look like at Chelsea with some good quick passing through midfield. I would still like to see us moving the ball quicker but that will come with time and for now things are shaping very well. Slightly worrying were Sarri's comments on the first 15 minutes. Sarri stated that we struggled with the first 15 minutes as it was more of a physical battle and we are not a physical team. Whilst I take on board the fact that a shift to attacking football may come with sacrificing a physical element to this Chelsea side, I can't help but reminisce of the first Mourinho era days where our team was both exiting to watch going forward but capable of scraping with the most physical of teams. The premier league can become very physical at times and Sarri needs to prepare this team to go to war on occasions. Teams are going to lets us play Sarriball without a fight.
Defence
I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of the defence. David Luiz and Marcos Alonso in a back four is what nightmares are made of. Even though they played well in this game, I don't know if I can trust them going forward. Luiz is in his 30's now and consistantly shown throughout his career that even though he can shine with very good, mature performances he will always be prone to lapses in concentration or mistakes. In Conte's back 3 he was protected, especially with Kante in front of him, so that when the mistakes happened they went under the radar. But in a back four and particularly this back four he simply cannot make these mistakes.
Furthermore, Marcos Alonso needs to be as far away from this team as possible, as quickly as possible. Yes he can score nice free kicks. Yes he can score nice goals. But the guy is a defensive liability. He has no interest in working back or adhering to his defensive responsibility. When either he or a team mate loses the ball when he is up field, 9 times out of 10 you will see him loiter back at his own pace. Even in this game, spend 5 minutes watching the highlights and for the majority of Huddersfield's chances you will see either Alonso out of position or Alonso not even in shot. We will get away with it whilst the opposition are at the standard of Huddersfield but we will be exposed against any type of quality opposition (see his performance in the community shield and tell me i'm not correct.
On the flip side Rudiger is looking more and more comfortable on the ball and is growing into his position at the club. Dave is Dave.
Midfield
As expected Jorginho was vital to all things Sarriball on Saturday. The guy puts himself on the line for the team. Not in the traditional way of throwing himself into tackles and busting a gut tracking back. But more in the sense that he will call and demand the ball in scenarios that put him at risk to ensure that the systems keeps ticking. He knows Sarriball in and out and its having a great effect on the rest of the side. He also seems to have found a new best friend in the shape of Ngolo Kante. Kante appears to be enjoying his new free role which gives him the freedom to venture forward more regularly and get involved in all phases of play. Barkley was quiet but not bad by any means. His flick to Alonso which led the penalty is something we will see more of as he grows into this team but he needs to contribute more. Whilst he stays fit and gets minutes there is a chance that he can make his mark as a Chelsea player but the clock is ticking. Kovacic will be pushing for fitness and if Barkley hasn't made a real impact by the time Kovacic comes into the picture then its going to be hard to find a way back.
Forwards
I won't say much on the forwards as they stuck to form. Morata was hard working but ultimately couldn't grab a goal. Willian and Pedro just did Willian and Pedro things. Very hard working and innovative going forward with Willian showing fans that he isn't finished at the club. They will always be great options for the side - but as seen on Saturday they will never be able to reach the levels of the main man.
Subs
Speaking of the main man, Eden Hazard was absolutely outrageous when he came on. Outrageous to the extent I was willing him to stop just in case Madrid officials had managed to find a stream. I'm sure premier league defenders are yet to find a way to dispossess him without committing a foul or murder. If he fits into Sarriball the way we think he can then this could really be his year. Loftus Cheek came on for Barkley in the 68th minute and slotted in nicely, replicating Barkley's performance. He didn't put a foot wrong but at the same time didn't set the world alight. As I said with Barkley, Reuben needs to make these chances count and really give Sarri a headache. With the options we have in the middle, it would be very easy to get lost on the bench or worse.
This weekend saw the return of premier league football, with Chelsea starting their campaign against Huddersfield. Going into the match there were many questions on the lips of Chelsea fans; Would any of our world cup stars start? What was the back four going to look like? Would Kepa make his debut? Will Hudson Odoi and Loftus Cheek get starts? Well Chelsea lined up in a way that most did not want, but had predicted. Sarri's 4-3-3 was on show with Kepa making his start in goal. The back four consisted of Dave, Luiz, Rudiger and Alsonso. Getting the nod in the middle were Kante, Jorginho and Barkley with a front 3 of Willian, Morata and Pedro.
My initial thoughts and the thoughts of many Chelsea fans were; Where is Hudson Odoi? Not even featured on the bench many feared the worst but soon it was revealed that the youngster picked up a knock in training thus was not in the match day squad. PHEW.
The game: A breakdown
Overall
On the whole this was a decent Chelsea performance. Whilst Huddersfield started strongly, the blues grew into the game - taking control of the ball and effectively snubbing out the home teams attempts at moving forward. We saw more glimpses of what Sarriball can look like at Chelsea with some good quick passing through midfield. I would still like to see us moving the ball quicker but that will come with time and for now things are shaping very well. Slightly worrying were Sarri's comments on the first 15 minutes. Sarri stated that we struggled with the first 15 minutes as it was more of a physical battle and we are not a physical team. Whilst I take on board the fact that a shift to attacking football may come with sacrificing a physical element to this Chelsea side, I can't help but reminisce of the first Mourinho era days where our team was both exiting to watch going forward but capable of scraping with the most physical of teams. The premier league can become very physical at times and Sarri needs to prepare this team to go to war on occasions. Teams are going to lets us play Sarriball without a fight.
Defence
I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of the defence. David Luiz and Marcos Alonso in a back four is what nightmares are made of. Even though they played well in this game, I don't know if I can trust them going forward. Luiz is in his 30's now and consistantly shown throughout his career that even though he can shine with very good, mature performances he will always be prone to lapses in concentration or mistakes. In Conte's back 3 he was protected, especially with Kante in front of him, so that when the mistakes happened they went under the radar. But in a back four and particularly this back four he simply cannot make these mistakes.
Furthermore, Marcos Alonso needs to be as far away from this team as possible, as quickly as possible. Yes he can score nice free kicks. Yes he can score nice goals. But the guy is a defensive liability. He has no interest in working back or adhering to his defensive responsibility. When either he or a team mate loses the ball when he is up field, 9 times out of 10 you will see him loiter back at his own pace. Even in this game, spend 5 minutes watching the highlights and for the majority of Huddersfield's chances you will see either Alonso out of position or Alonso not even in shot. We will get away with it whilst the opposition are at the standard of Huddersfield but we will be exposed against any type of quality opposition (see his performance in the community shield and tell me i'm not correct.
On the flip side Rudiger is looking more and more comfortable on the ball and is growing into his position at the club. Dave is Dave.
Midfield
As expected Jorginho was vital to all things Sarriball on Saturday. The guy puts himself on the line for the team. Not in the traditional way of throwing himself into tackles and busting a gut tracking back. But more in the sense that he will call and demand the ball in scenarios that put him at risk to ensure that the systems keeps ticking. He knows Sarriball in and out and its having a great effect on the rest of the side. He also seems to have found a new best friend in the shape of Ngolo Kante. Kante appears to be enjoying his new free role which gives him the freedom to venture forward more regularly and get involved in all phases of play. Barkley was quiet but not bad by any means. His flick to Alonso which led the penalty is something we will see more of as he grows into this team but he needs to contribute more. Whilst he stays fit and gets minutes there is a chance that he can make his mark as a Chelsea player but the clock is ticking. Kovacic will be pushing for fitness and if Barkley hasn't made a real impact by the time Kovacic comes into the picture then its going to be hard to find a way back.
Forwards
I won't say much on the forwards as they stuck to form. Morata was hard working but ultimately couldn't grab a goal. Willian and Pedro just did Willian and Pedro things. Very hard working and innovative going forward with Willian showing fans that he isn't finished at the club. They will always be great options for the side - but as seen on Saturday they will never be able to reach the levels of the main man.
Subs
Speaking of the main man, Eden Hazard was absolutely outrageous when he came on. Outrageous to the extent I was willing him to stop just in case Madrid officials had managed to find a stream. I'm sure premier league defenders are yet to find a way to dispossess him without committing a foul or murder. If he fits into Sarriball the way we think he can then this could really be his year. Loftus Cheek came on for Barkley in the 68th minute and slotted in nicely, replicating Barkley's performance. He didn't put a foot wrong but at the same time didn't set the world alight. As I said with Barkley, Reuben needs to make these chances count and really give Sarri a headache. With the options we have in the middle, it would be very easy to get lost on the bench or worse.
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