Chelsea key clashes at Sheffield: Battle of the substitutes

Chelsea and Sheffield United drew the last time out, so there is a lot to look forward to in this scrap. Here are some key clashes to keep an eye on.

Sheffield United are the most awkward matchup in the Premier League, and the Blades are hitting a vein of good form right as they welcome Chelsea to Bramall Lane. Typical. The Blues have their work cut out for them as they try to fend off the chasing pack in the hunt for Champions League places. With that in mind, Lampard and his squad will have a few specific battles to win that could go a long way to securing another crucial three points.

1. Chelsea’s back two vs. Sheffield’s front two

If Kurt Zouma’s herculean display against Crystal Palace proved anything, it’s that Frank Lampard has exactly one reliable centerback. While that was enough to eke out a victory at Selhurst Park, Sheffield United will present a different challenge. Namely, Sheffield commonly plays with two strikers.

Chris Wilder has relied on a small platoon of forwards throughout the season, none of whom are exactly banging in the goals for fun, but all of whom are massive nuisances to opposing defenses. David McGoldrick and Oli McBurnie have been the most common pairing since the restart, despite McGoldrick having yet to score his first league goal. For whatever reason, Lys Mousset, the club’s top scorer with six goals, has been relegated to a super-sub role for the most part this season. He’ll almost certainly feature, likely providing Sheffield with a second-half surge of energy if the game is still hanging in the balance.

Suffice to say, Zouma will have his work cut out for him trying to handle two active and physical center forwards. In theory, however, he should actually get a bit of help on Saturday, having received basically none against Palace. Andreas Christensen turned in a performance that could best be described as phantasmic, such was his inability to contribute anything of physical substance on the pitch. Given the one-man show Zouma had to put on, it’s amazing Chelsea only conceded twice.

All signs would point to Antonio Rudiger replacing the Dane in the lineup alongside Zouma, giving Chelsea a firm pairing that should be able to combat Sheffield’s two-pronged attack. Rudiger is also the more assured long-passer of the two, which will help Chelsea to bypass what should be a tightly-packed midfield. While a clean sheet is the first priority, the duo’s ability to impact Chelsea’s attacking play will be useful in a match where the Blues are likely to dominate possession.

Ironically, Chelsea has fared well against the more free-scoring strikers in the league, while often handing goals to forwards who tend to be more tenacious than they are productive. Michail Antonio and Christian Benteke are shining examples from recent matches. Hopefully this is the correct centerback pairing to battle Sheffield’s hard-charging forward duo. At this point, it’s the only promising combination Lampard has at his disposal.

There’s also the question of where Zouma is physically after the exertion of the Palace win. The run he made to block Benteke’s shot in stoppage time would be the greatest athletic achievement of a normal person’s life; Zouma pulled it off after 90 minutes of laboriously keeping Chelsea afloat at the back. It wouldn’t be a massive shock if he comes out looking a little leggy this weekend. Had it been me, I would have asked for the next month off to try and regain some semblance of responsiveness in my legs. But, that’s why he’s out there and I’m tapping away on my laptop. Different strokes for different folks and all that.

If Zouma does show up gassed, Rudiger will need to bring his A+ game to be the best defender on the pitch. He has that in him, but it seems like it’s been awhile since he’s pieced together a truly dominant performance. No time like the present though, right? And, if for some unfathomable reason, Christensen is trotted back out there again, I don’t know what to say anymore. Gear up for the 2020/21 Europa League, I guess.