Chelsea will be seeking their first victory this season against Leicester City on Sunday. Despite the results, their progress and their players show a club moving in the right direction.
Frank Lampard’s Chelsea has lost their opening two matches of the season. But their performances in both matches are much important than the results. Against Manchester United and Liverpool, the Blues proved they can be remarkable under their legend’s guidance.
Even though the result was unpleasant, Chelsea was promising last Sunday against United. If the luck was on their side, they would have been ahead by two goals before half time. The major headache was how easily United was able to open up the defense.
Many expected the worst against a considerably superior side in Liverpool at the UEFA Super Cup, especially as Liverpool had two more days rest than the Blues. But the game in Istanbul showed how quickly Lampard’s boys can learn from their mistakes.
There were no more wide-open spaces for Liverpool’s attackers to exploit. Despite being a set team who have been playing together for almost two year, Jurgen Klopp’s team were forced to try long balls over the top to give their forwards a crack at scoring. Chelsea’s back four managed to restrict them without much difficulty throughout the game.
Lampard made considerable changes to the starting line up on Wednesday. His starting XI was possibly the best line-up available at the time. The attacking trio of Christian Pulisic, Olivier Giroud, and Pedro worked tirelessly. They were equally supported by the midfield three of Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho and N’Golo Kante.
Not many players anywhere in the world are better than Kante. Despite being not fully fit, he was extraordinary for 120 minutes. Olivier Giroud, despite his lack of pace compared to his younger peers, used his tools perfectly. Pulisic and Pedro never allowed Liverpool’s fullbacks to go forward as they would usually do. And Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho alongside Kante dominated the midfield.
Kurt Zouma, who had a match to forget on Sunday, can be proud of his performance partnered with Andreas Christensen. Emerson maintained his excellent form while Cesar Azpilicueta, too, delivered a tremendous performance after Sunday’s troubles.
Frank Lampard’s substitutions were similarly brilliant. He introduced the fresh young legs of Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham late in the second half to allow Chelsea to maintain their dominances. Fikayo Tomori replacing the tired Andreas Christensen was just as clever as it was unexpected. It worked against Liverpool since it helped Chelsea counter the quickness and pace of Liverpool’s substitutes and their remaining starters.
Once again, luck proved crucial for the Blues. Many of the offside calls were debatable. On some other day, Tammy Abraham would have scored one of his chances earlier in the game or his penalty. Kepa Arrizabalaga, who went to the right side most times, would have saved at least a couple of penalties. Those minute details made the difference after 120 minutes and 10 penalties.
The fans will be extremely delighted by the way Chelsea bounced back. They demonstrated their potential by responding to a resounding loss so quickly against the European Champions.
If they can keep up this attitude, Lampard’s side – which has a good mixture of youth and experience – can progress a long way. With players coming back from injury, it will only get better.