Chelsea face relegation-bait Aston Villa, a team they should beat handily, which means its a team that will give the Blues too much trouble. Here are a few things to look for.
Chelsea travel to Villa Park on Saturday in a bid to do the double over Aston Villa. Chelsea sank Everton 4-0 last match, and speaking of 4-0 routings, Aston Villa took a beating with the same score from third place Leicester City last time out.
1. Chelsea’s centerback pairing
Frank Lampard is only just getting a little bit consistent with his centerback selection. It is understandable that no one is guaranteed a starting spot in the team and everyone has to be kept on their toes, but it is essential that Lampard decide on a centerback pair – even if it is not the right one.
The centerbacks have to play with each other enough to build the communication between them that we all love to see. This synergy does not happen if one is on the bench and the other is on the pitch. They need to play together… a lot. That means they need to make mistakes together, because it’s the fastest way to learn.
Lampard’s current CB pairing has kept two clean sheets in two games, so he should leave them as they are. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.
Kurt Zouma and Antonio Rudiger should be Chelsea’s starting centerbacks from here on out, until one of them gives Lampard a blatant reason to be dropped.
2. Mason Mount
I know, right? It’s surprising that we are still on this. Many keep calling into question Mount’s attacking prowess and general footballing ability. His excellent positioning, incessant pressing and shooting ability are often overlooked.
The volley against Everton that is being used to climb on his back is one where he did everything he could. It was a difficult volley, and to catch the ball the way he did actually underlines his technical ability.
Watch Mason Mount, see how different and disjointed the Blues’ pressing is without him, and how nearly non-existent the off-the-ball movement is without him.
3. Ross Barkley
Ross Barkley is easily Chelsea’s most misunderstood player. Many fans hate Barkley because of a penalty he missed in the first Champions League group stage game this season. Barkley has been Chelsea’s best player in the last two matches. He is transferring his England form to his club.
Barkley’s technical ability is often overlooked because it’s more convenient for people. Barkley is very creative and has shown as much recently. He has been keeping things simple, and has been doing it well.
Frank Lampard would be crazy to drop Barkley for the Aston Villa game.
4. The midfield battle and Billy Gilmour
Billy Gilmour has played the last two matches for Chelsea and has picked up two man of the match awards. For a central midfielder who is yet to register a goal or an assist, that is impressive.
Gilmour actually controls the tempo of a game. Many matches are won and lost in the midfield. Gilmour has been spraying passes, registering interceptions and protecting the back. Frank Lampard does not have a reason to drop Gilmour yet, so he shouldn’t, and he doesn’t have many options anyway.
Gilmour has been tested against two very different Premier League teams. Aston Villa is very different from them both, giving him another opportunity to show what he can do and how he can win any midfield battle.