The below were my five key takeaways from our 4-0 Champions League win against Malmo on 21 October 2021 at Stamford Bridge.
1. Chelsea’s attacking approach pays off
Prior to this clash, much was spoken about in relation to the nature of Chelsea’s narrow 1-0 win over Brentford.
Not only did the Blues need to fight and scrape to keep out a ferocious onslaught from the Bees in the final 20 minutes of their match, but the attacking side of the balance sheet for the European Champions was very underwhelming.
According to ‘The xG Philosophy’, Chelsea’s expected goals for the match was 0.28, and more shockingly, 0.02! This was not the first time this season whereby the Blues’ expected goals has not been to the level of that expected of genuine Premier League title contenders.
Against that backdrop, Tuchel knew that his Blues would need to come out of the blocks firing and set the record straight – Chelsea were more than just a defensively solid unit, they also possess a lethal attack! In this match, the home side started off with strong intensity and purpose.
The boys in darker blue looked as if they had a point to prove from the outset with the bulk of the team camping in Malmo’s half, including Captain Azpilicueta who often found himself in a central attacking area along with Chilwell and Kanté very high up the pitch!
In the end, the Blues scored 4 goals, of which 2 were penalties (should have had a third) and could’ve added a couple of more on another day. Despite the opponent being inferior on paper, the Blues delivered a strong display from start-to-finish as Malmo were restricted to an xG of 0.07.
2. Blues cruise but at what cost?
As noted above, the Blues were totally dominant in their clash against Malmo. According to ESPN, they enjoyed the lion’s share of possession (73%) and registered 20 shots to 2, with 7 of these on target compared to none for the visitors.
Unfortunately for Thomas Tuchel and the Chelsea faithful, both star strikers Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner suffered ankle and hamstring injuries respectively.
With Romelu, he went down after a nasty challenge which led to the Blue’s first penalty, whereas the German speedster Werner’s hamstring injury was more innocuous as he appeared to sustain it while pulling up from a run towards goal.
While there’s been no confirmation of the extent of the injuries, one suspects they will be out at least for the Norwich game on 23rd October and possibly the Southampton Carabao Cup tie a few days after that.
So in the end, the Blues took a comfortable 3 points but again, at what cost? Time will tell.
3. Jorginho’s return is spot on
A continued talking point within the Chelsea community has been the composition of the midfield. While the individual members that make up the middle for the Blues possess strong qualities, there remains questions marks over which is the most effective combination given their different skills and attributes.
In recent times, Chelsea’s ‘regista’ and serial winner (at least this season) Jorginho has not been as pivotal to Tuchel’s squad selection with the surprise re-emergence of academy product Ruben Loftus-Cheek who has been in scintillating form.
Given this, along with Tuchel’s preference to call upon the indefatigable N’Golo Kanté following his covid-induced absence, in addition to the strong form overall of Croatian sensation Mateo Kovacic, the Italian Euro winner has been locked into a battle to re-cement his spot in the Blues midfield.
Following his re-introduction into the starting line-up, Jorginho stepped up in more ways than one.
Not only did he cooly convert both of Chelsea’s spot kicks, but his all-round stats were super impressive, including: 104 touches, 82 passes, 12 ball recoveries, 8 duels won, 10 passes into the final third, 4 touches in the opposition box, 8 tackles, and 3 interceptions.
Performances like this could perhaps swing the Ballon D’or balance in his favour.
4. Havertz and Hudson-Odoi seize opportunity
When Chelsea’s front men Romelu Lukaku and Time Werner suffered their respective injuries, the reaction of the Blues community both online and at the ground dropped their heads in concern.
However, and while possessing different characteristics, both Kai Havertz and Callum Hudson-Odoi (CHO) sufficiently filled the void in this clash.
The two youngsters worked hard and combined well on the night with their key moment being shortly after the interval as CHO used his blistering pace and dribbling to burn a helpless Malmo before teeing up the German rising superstar to expertly tuck the ball into the back of the net.
CHO almost got his name on the scoresheet too with one well-struck effort being parried away by subbed-in goalkeeper Diawarra while Havertz almost doubled his tally when he just failed to get on the end of Mount’s and Jorginho’s whipped in crosses.
Overall, it was an encouraging display from both the talented attackers, the key question is, can they sustain it should Lukaku and Werner be absent for an extended period?
On a side note, seeing CHO being deployed in his seemingly-preferred left wing position and linking up well with Chilwell was a real positive and the duo could form a strong partnership should Tuchel persist with the pair.
5. Regular back three make all the difference
One thing that stood out from ‘the great Brentford escape’ a few days earlier was the missing presence of Thiago Silva and Antonio Rudiger.
While the back 3 on the day did a superb job along with man-of-the-match Mendy to keep the Bees at bay, the experience and class of the German and Brazilian was certainly missed.
Aside from the defensive assurance and coverage the world-class pair provide, and combined with the in-form Dane and partner-in-crime Andreas Christensen, collectively they represent the complete package in what is desired in the modern day central defender.
Together, they: moved the ball quickly and crisply to commence Chelsea’s attacks; expertly positioned themselves high up the pitch to win back possession during transition; remained concentrated in defence on the odd counter; and; added an extra dimension to Chelsea’s attack (refer Silva’s pin-point pass for Christensen to score his first Blues goal, and, Rudiger’s run to draw the foul for Chelsea’s second penalty).
While the primary role of defenders is to help prevent the opposition from scoring, it is becoming increasingly important for defenders to also be able to contribute to their team’s attack e.g. via the build-up as well as offering an extra presence in the opposition’s danger zones.
With this back 3, Chelsea’s chances of winning are significantly boosted!
Final Comments
Four goals scored, zero conceded – this was the kind of performance and result the team needed!
Thomas Tuchel’s men were completely in control for the entire match and genuinely looked like a team worthy of being called the European Champions.
Undoubtedly motivated by the recent narrative building in the media that the Blues were more lucky than deserving, this was exactly the kind of response that both Tuchel and the fans had been hoping to see.
While the injuries to Lukaku and Werner are highly unfortunate and will serve to act as a considerable dampener on the overall mood for Blues fans, the inner optimist in me reflects on the following saying by the famous Alexander Graham Bell: ‘when one door closes, another door opens‘.
With that in mind, and seeing the likes of Havertz and CHO performing positively, Pulisic’s long-awaited return on the horizon, and players such as Ziyech keen to impress to keep their Blues career alive, perhaps the unfortunate absence of Lukaku and Werner might inadvertently force our other attackers to seize their opportunity. Here’s hoping!
Until then, bring on Norwich!
Come on you Blues!
Twitter: @RJ_Goodthings
