The below were my five key takeaways from our emphatic 7-0 Premier League against Norwich on 21 October 2021 at Stamford Bridge.
1. Mason Mount getting back to his best
A lot has been spoken about amongst the Chelsea faithful and general football community about the relatively slow start to the season for Mason Mount. While his defensive contributions continue to be impressive as always, questions have been asked regarding Mason’s attacking output from a direct goal perspective (at least prior to this game).
In this match however, Mase was in scintillating form. Not only did he lead by example with his pressing from the front, but his first goal set the tone for what would eventually turn into an absolute goal-fest for the home side.
Not only is scoring three goals and assisting one an amazing statistic, but the nature of these goals scored and the assist provided spoke to the quality of the ever-rising superstar.
From a long-range finish for the opener, to remaining calm in slotting home his second penalty attempt following Krul’s feet off the line breach, to showing great positional awareness to complete his hat-trick, and adding a sublime assist via a perfectly weighted pass for Reece James, this was the Mason Mount show.
Blues fans will be hoping that this performance will be the catalyst for bringing out the best from the reigning Chelsea player of the year.
2. The Chosen one delivers
The curious case of Callum Hudson-Odoi (CHO) remains one of the lingering subplots for Chelsea fans needing to digest each transfer window. Will he stay? Will he go? Will he be loaned out? Will he be sold? Not so long ago it was reported that German giants Bayern Munich offered to £70m to bring in the talented young Englishman but the club rejected the lucrative offer.
However, with intermittent opportunities to showcase his talent, often in the unfamiliar position of right wingback, the prospects of CHO becoming a mainstay for the Champions of Europe does not look promising – at least that’s what the narrative was up until now.
Following a strong performance against Malmo whereby he came on for the injured Werner, CHO was in menacing form against a not-so-scary Canaries. Callum was purposeful with the ball and looked to make things happen at every opportunity he could . Whether it be taking on his opponent, linking up with his team mate, or making a run in behind (like he did when he scored his really smartly taken goal), CHO delivered a statement performance to Tuchel that he is the man to occupy the left flank, at least until Werner is out.
Tuchel spoke about CHO needing to demonstrate consistency so as to show he deserves to be a regular. Based on each time CHO has been selected in his natural (most effective) position, he has delivered! Long may it continue!
3. ‘Jovacic’ pivotal
When the line-up was announced a few eyebrows were raised, mainly regarding the midfield position. While the tried and tested Kovacic and Jorginho aka ‘Jovacic’ have worked well previously and shown their quality on numerous occasions, the reality is the Blues are are blessed to possess a plethora of talent in this position. And although Kanté was ruled due to some muscle tightness, the big question mark was why the recently resurgent Ruben Loftus-Cheek was not picked to start.
His controversial omission even led to Tuchel needing to explain himself during the pre-match comments and he even agreed that ‘RLC’ should feel hard done by given just how good he’s been.
But, and as has happened many times since he joined, Tuchel was spot on with his decision. Mateo Kovacic was once again brilliant and continues to demonstrate that he has evolved his all-round game and focused on improving his influence on the attacking side of play. Per squawka, the Croatian sensation had the most touches (97), most passes in the final third (36), most chances created (6), most tackles (5), most assists (2) and equal most duels won (6). All in all, he was one of the best on the pitch.
Perhaps in a more understated role, but his partner-in-crime and Ballon D’or candidate Jorginho was also very influential and at his metronomic best. In fact, if the game finished after 45 minutes, he would have been on top off of many of the key stats such as most touches, most passes in the final third, most possession won, most duels won, most tackles, most fouls won, and most interceptions. Adding to this was his nice past to find Mount for the opening goal.
While Loftus-Cheek came on in the second half and once again showed that he wants to be a Chelsea player, including teeing up Mount for his third goal at the end, the Jovacic pairing worked a treat in this game and it’s great to see that this is a combination that has shown multiple times it can flourish.
4. Left, right, goodnight!
Whether it was the Rudiger, Chilwell and CHO causing havoc on the left, or Chalobah, James and Mount running a madness on the right, the Blues were carving the Canaries open on both flanks.
While the Jovacic pairing were instrumental in linking the play from back to front, the stars of the show belonged to the wide men at Stamford Bridge. In particular, both Chilwell (who’s arguably the in-form player for Chelsea) & CHO, and, Mase & RJ were sensational and showed strong chemistry. For example, there were several occasions in the first half where Chilwell would angle his run centrally to pull the Norwich players out of place and allow CHO to go one on one against his marker, whereas Mason played that peach of a pass for James to chip it beyond a despairing Krul to make it 3-0.
Thematically speaking, given the importance of the wide players under Tuchel’s system, having players on both flanks that have an inherently sharp understanding and chemistry of each other could significantly boost the Blues chances of winning silverware this season.
The only remaining question is: which side is the more lethal and balanced?
5. No Lukaku, no Werner, no worries!
When Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner were forced off against Malmo due to injury, questions were asked as to where the goals for Chelsea would be coming from and who would lead the line. Connected to this was, whoever gets selected, will they be able to sufficiently step up and seize their opportunity. Based on the performances against Malmo and Norwich, the answer is an emphatic yes!
That said, perspective is important here as the context is the Blues were versing two lesser-quality teams that they were expected to comfortably beat. With that, it would be prudent to remain level-headed and not make quick judgements that the Blues’ goal-scoring issues of late have suddenly been resolved as a result of these past two performances. The reality is the fixtures are coming thick and fast across multiple competitions and the quality of opponents will also be more challenging and consequently a Chelsea side with Lukaku and Werner will undoubtedly help navigate through the rocky waters when they arise.
For now, those being trusted to fill the void are doing a great job! P.s. it’s worth noting that the large diversity of goal scorers for the Blues has helped alleviate the pressure of not having the likes of both Lukaku and Werner available.
Final Comments
A 7-0 victory in the Premier League is always something that should forever be cherished, regardless of the opponent or where they are on the ladder. Prior to the match, Norwich had secured back-to-back clean sheets against Burnley and Brighton and were starting to develop some resilience. Equally on the other hand Chelsea were needing to find a new temporary attacking solution given their two recognised strikers got injured in the same game a few days earlier.
Against that backdrop, this clash had the potential of being a ‘banana skin’ for the Blues. But to their credit, rather than being hindered by externalities (injuries) and hiding behind excuses, they focused on what they had at their disposal and thrived at the opportunity to consolidate their morale-boosting 4-0 win against Malmo.
In the end, this was Chelsea’s most complete performance of the season so far and highly entertaining for fans around the world and at the Bridge.
With the Blues remaining on top of the Premier League and starting to find their feet, these next set of fixtures provide the perfect opportunity to build on this lead and place them in a good position heading into the next international break.
Until then, bring on Southampton in the Carabao Cup!
Come on you Blues!
Twitter: @RJ_Goodthings