Chelsea FC Thrash Maccabi Tel-Aviv: 4 Key Takeaways
Final Thoughts
For the second game running, Mourinho took the decision to play a left-footer at left-back and got his just rewards. Now there is little doubt that Baba Rahman’s defending needs some work, as all Maccabi’s chances came from his flank., but he finally gave an indication of his massive potential going forward.
He set up three clear-cut chances from his crosses (the highest in the game), one of which resulted in Chelsea’s third goal after his sublime cross was met by the head of Oscar. He almost had another assist when his far post cross was met with power and precision by Cesar Azpilicueta, who was denied brilliantly by Rajkovic. His crossing, which is one of his major assets, could be a tool for the Blues in games to come.
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Oscar again showed why he is still the best man to handle the role behind the striker. He spent the earlier stages of the game playing deeper, but with the substitution of Hazard he moved further forward found himself at the right place at the right time to head in Baba Rahman’s cross. He is probably the only current Chelsea midfielder who can be a threat inside the 18-yard box.
Only Sadio Mane has lost the ball more due to a poor first touch (39 times) than Diego Costa (37 times) in the Premier League. Hazard has also now gone 20 games without a goal in all competitions, the worst current individual scoreless run in his career, and has only made two assists in all tournaments. Chelsea’s top two goal scorers of last season have struggled this season which is the clearest indication why the Blues have been poor so far.
Tuesday’s victory was also Chelsea’s first away win in the UCL for a year and only their second away win in their last ten UCL games. Mourinho tends to set his teams up not to lose in such games, which is largely responsible for this abysmal away record. He needs to find a way to deal with his phobia of wining away Champions League games once and for all.
Porto’s 2-0 away defeat to Dynamo Kyiv means that qualification for the knock-out round of the tournament will run until the last match, a home game against FC Porto. With both sides currently on ten points and Dynamo Kyiv close behind on eight points (with their final game against the whipping boys of the group, Maccabi Tel Aviv), anything less than a draw for the Blues could mean elimination from the competition.
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The Blues need to get back into gear for the trip to White Hart Lane on Sunday, although they have the advantage of Tottenham Hotspur having to play in the Europa League on Thursday. With Spurs currently on a 12 match unbeaten run in the EPL (20 in all competitions) since their opening day defeat to Manchester United, the clash could be a potential banana skin for the Blues. A win could help boost the team’s confidence going forward, and this may be the best time for the Blues to achieve this goal.