The below were my 5 key takeaways from our 3-0 win against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge in the opening game of the 2021-22 Premier League season.
1. Our defence remains strong
A clean sheet to start the season is always pleasing. Not only did we not concede, we looked assured from start to finish and only allowed one dangerous counter-attacking opportunity in the 2nd half which was expertly handled by our defenders.
A very comfortable day for Mendy in goal given the good work of his outfield players to limit the amount of possession and territory (and hence chances) from Palace.
This is an area of the pitch that remains solid for Tuchel and which will be crucial in maintaining as we look to bridge the gap between ourselves and the Premier League summit.
2. Purposeful in possession
In possession, the Blues quickly found their rhythm against Patrick Viera’s Palace from the early stages of the match. This rhythm was built up from the back from our defenders Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger and Trevoh Chalobah who were crisp with their passing and allowed the likes of Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho to dictate the tempo throughout and stretch the Eagles to ensure that they would be on the backfoot.
Too many times last season we saw us maintain the lion’s share of the ball but it lacked penetration (and hence goals). We need to ensure we continue to use the ball productively and not just keep the ball for the sake of it as that is what most of Chelsea’s opposition will accept given they do not want to disrupt their defensive structures at the risk of being opened up by the Blue’s more skilful attacking players.
3. Trevoh Chalobah is a rising star
One of the shining lights during the Blues pre-season, including the Super Cup, was young Trevoh Chalobah. The central defender (and defensive midfielder) has been simply sensational.
Playing alongside Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger, and behind Captain courageous Cesar Azpilicueta, the young lion certainly did not look at out place. In fact, he was the standout player for me alongside Marcos Alonso and Mason Mount.
The way he positioned himself, made some great tackles and interceptions, as well as his
strong passing throughout, was a complete performance from the talented youngster. And, the long-range rocket he scored in the 2nd half was icing on the cake! He has certainly made a strong claim to be kept in the squad this season and not moved out on loan as widely anticipated before pre-season.
4. Fluid forward movement
While our defenders and middle men heavily influenced the ebb and flow of the match and ensured we dominated a passive Palace, key to our success was the dynamism and fluidity of the Blues in those forward positions.
In particular, both Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic found themselves very difficult to contain given they kept roaming about the central and wide areas and linking up with the excellent Marcos Alonso and
Cesar Azpilicueta to keep asking questions of the Eagles defence and midfield.
This constant movement is key to destabilising a well organised and compact low block which has been a major source of frustration for the Blues for several seasons.
5. An almost perfect performance
While the performance on the whole was fantastic, especially given it was the first game of the season and we just played 120 minutes in the Super Cup a few days before, there were a couple of improvement opportunities present which the team will need to continue working on.
Specifically, some of our decisions in the final third and execution were a bit rusty and let Palace off the hook a few times. To be considered genuine title contenders, the team
will need to focus on minimising the amount of poor/heavy touches in those dangerous areas, and sharpen up their decision making to try and better capitalise on their good chances created.
Final comments
In summing up, it was a fantastic performance and result to commence our Premier League campaign. There was plenty of positives to take out of this match, both for individual players as well as the team collectively.
Adding to this is the players that there are still to return, and the signs for this season are even more promising (acknowledging that is is only very early days).
For now, we celebrate a fine game and victory!
Come on you Blues! 👊🙂
Twitter: @RJ_Goodthings
