Chelsea announced left-back Ola Aina’s permanent transfer to Torino while, in France, Magdalena Eriksson put on a masterclass as Sweden’s left-back in the Women’s World Cup. Eriksson displayed everything the Blues currently do not have in the first team going into next season.
Through the first half of their Women’s World Cup opener, Sweden had nine shots to Chile’s three; three shots on goal to Chile’s one; completed nearly four times as many passes; and had 69% possession. Still, the score remained 0-0 at the break. The Fox Sports commentators thought this last datum was discrepant: how could one team be so dominant across the pitch and in the final third and still be goalless? I wonder, did they not even watch Chelsea last season?
Chelsea and Sweden left-back Magdalena Eriksson led with nine completed passes in the final third in the first half. One of those passes landed just in front of the penalty spot, which Elin Rubensson headed straight at Chile goalkeeper Christiane Endler. Two of her uncompleted passes missed her teammates by inches towards the far post, and another half-shot half-cross was pulled down by Endler on the goal line.
Eriksson’s service from the left – often from the area vulgarly known as the “half space” – was reminiscent of Cesar Azpilicueta’s regular link-up with Alvaro Morata from the right in the first half of 2017/18. Both Eriksson and Azpilicueta sent in curling balls from a deeper defensive position, aiming for a target in the centre of the box.
When Eriksson advanced a bit higher up the pitch, she was looking at the far post more than centrally for her target, still going more for movement on the ball than power. She also showed a willingness to come central – not quite as often as a Marcos Alonso-style “false-3” – taking her lone shot of the game from 20 yards straight in front of goal in the 70′.
Eriksson’s perfectly-timed and well-placed passes and her contributions over the ball and in the box on set pieces were quite the juxtaposition to the news coming out of Stamford Bridge during the game.
Chelsea FC confirmed Torino had activated the buy clause in Ola Aina’s loan contract, and the defender would be permanently joining the Italian side. This leaves Chelsea with one fewer option at a position that has been under-manned for years and may get weaker this summer.
Marcos Alonso has been in the rumour mill for a transfer to Atletico Madrid. If he makes that move, the Blues will have to start the season with Cesar Azpilicueta on the right and Emerson Palmieri on the left, as Reece James recovers from an ankle injury. In Alonso the Blues are losing not only a starter, but their best source of offence from the back-line.
Even in a four-man defence, where Alonso is much more vulnerable than he was as a wing-back, the Spaniard is Chelsea’s best option on the left.
Like many players in the side, this past season’s tactics did nothing for his capabilities and weaknesses. Alonso is one of the best crossers in the Premier League. However, Maurizio Sarri’s set-up provided neither the target man in the box nor the circuits off the left flank to make use of Alonso’s passes from the left. Alonso’s defensively-risky improvisations – moving high and central, and then staying there – showed his offensive inclinations and ability to read the game, even if they were not part of the original plan. Regular readers will recognize this theme: Sarriball had its best moments when the players kicked it to the curb to get the job done.
With Alonso’s form wavering this season, Cesar Azpilicueta stepped up as he always does. He had six assists in the Premier League last season: four to strikers (Alvaro Morata, Olivier Giroud, two to Gonzalo Higuain), one to Eden Hazard and one to Pedro. He did not have the telepathic rapport with any one player as he did with Morata in 2017/18, but he provided strong service to the forwards.
However, in any well-designed Chelsea squad, Azpilicueta is always going to be the more defensive, less offensive / creative of the two. His counterpart on the left should be creating just as many chances, if not more.
Emerson, for all his much-vaunted pace, does not seem able to do that. Even if he could, it would hardly be worth the chances he concedes. Azpilicueta can stay deep while the opposite side full-back goes forward, but that only goes so far. Repeatedly in the latter part of last season Azpilicueta could only recover fast enough to clear a cut-back or rebound after Emerson and David Luiz combined to permit a counter-attack.
Nor does Emerson match Alonso’s aerial command in the box on set pieces, let alone his ability to score free kicks himself.
With Ola Aina gone and Alonso possibly out the door, Chelsea’s first team do not have a proper complement for Cesar Azpilicueta. Reece James will be that player eventually, but he probably will not be fully integrated post-injury until the end of 2019.
International play often give players the opportunity to show what else they can do, after settling into a rhythm (perhaps a rut) with their club. Given the difficulty in watching Chelsea FC Women’s games, we don’t know what Magdalena Eriksson normally does for the Blues.
However, her performance against Chile showed Chelsea fans a lot of what the first team could be missing next season at left-back.