Chelsea FC vs Crystal Palace: Post-Match Reflections
Limited Creativity
Cesc Fabregas has been criticized for his lack of defensive input, but that is not the only area where he has been lacklustre this season. On Saturday, he did not create a single chance despite topping the passing charts. He was dispossessed almost every time he ventured into Palace’s defensive third, and also missed Chelsea’s best chance of the game when he managed to hit a rebound shot straight at Eagles ‘keeper Alex McCarthy.
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Defensively, he contributed next to nothing as he again left the equally poor Branislav Ivanovic exposed to an onslaught from Bakary Sako and Wilfried Zaha down the left.
Eden Hazard, meanwhile, seems like he is either suffering from fatigue, tired of being the only real attacking threat, protecting himself from injuries or has been instructed by Jose Mourinho to tone down his creativity (probably as a ploy to force the board to sign more players). Whatever the case may be, he has not been performing at even 40% of his level last season, which in turn has affected the team going forward. Against Palace, he was anonymous during his 90 minutes on the pitch, failing to register a single shot on target or create a single chance.
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Willian was Willian…lots of running with no end product. On Saturday, his 2 shots at goal didn’t even come close to hitting the target while he misplaced more passes in Palace’s defensive third than any other Chelsea player.
Pedro was clearly Chelsea’s best attacker, but even he didn’t fare much better. He left his shooting boots in the dressing room, failing to hit the target with any of his 4 shots at goal (although 2 of them were blocked by the impressive Palace backline). He does, though, deserve credit for his fantastic cross that set-up Chelsea’s only goal of the game.
Diego Costa spent more time complaining and arguing with officials than he did playing football, which was reflected by the fact that he managed only one shot at goal all game.
In fact, Falcao took more shots in just over 10 minutes than Costa did in his 90 minutes on the pitch. He is costing the Blues more than he is offering, which is very disappointing considering the fact that he the is best of Chelsea’s current striking options.
Next: Mourinho’s Misguided Loyalty