Chelsea travels to Brighton on Monday night for its first game of the season. Here are three things to look out for as the Blues take on the south coast.
Chelsea travels to Brighton & Hove Albion on Monday night for its first game of the new Premier League season. There will be many things to look for in the opening game of 2020/21. Frank Lampard splashed the cash in the transfer window, and he isn’t done yet. The major concerns in certain positions last season have now been rectified with the plethora of new recruits. Many feel that the SW6 club should challenge for the title with how much it has spent and the quality of the personnel the Blues have brought in.
It is set to be an interesting future at Stamford Bridge, but here are three things to look for in the upcoming season:
1. Chelsea’s new faces
As it stands, Chelsea has signed: Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, Ben Chilwell, Kai Havertz, Thiago Silva, Malang Sarr and Xaiver Mbuyamba.
The first two already appeared in a friendly against the Seagulls in late August. The latter two have been brought in with an eye on the future. Thiago Silva is likely to miss out due to an extended break as a result of his former club, Paris Saint-Germain, reaching the Champions League final. Fellow defender Ben Chilwell will also be absent as he battles an injury. Despite featuring in the game at the Amex, Ziyech will also miss the trip due to an injury he picked up in that friendly. Therefore, all eyes will be on Havertz, who is set to make his debut at the start of next week.
In football, the attackers get the most limelight and this will be no different on Monday. Werner will be eager to get off the mark as he chases the 34 goals he scored last season in the Bundesliga. His goals could end up being the difference in the Chelsea side, deciding whether the Blues mount a title challenge or not this season.
Although he isn’t a new face, Christian Pulisic will be one of the biggest things to look for, as well. The American got injured in the FA Cup final, but he is now back in full training and with winger depth thin, he’ll likely play a big part at Brighton.
2. The fullback positions
Chilwell was brought in this summer by Chelsea to fill the left back void for the foreseeable future, but due to him being injured right now, Marcos Alonso has a chance to make it known he still has a place in the team. The Spaniard lacks responsibility defensively and therefore, the big bucks were spent on a new starting fullback. Going forward, Alonso is terrific, but he needs a strong performance on Monday if he wants to keep himself in Lampard’s plans.
Regardless, he still can be utilised when the system is three at the back, a formation which Lampard deploys quite often; the coaching hierarchy switched from a back four to a three a lot last season. He is a superb left wing-back; only time will tell on his involvement this season in the starting line-up.
On the other side, Reece James and Cesar Azpilicueta will square off for the right back role. The former started against Brighton and he played well.
‘Azpi’ is the club captain and for this reason, it is important that he sees the pitch more often than not. This gives the gaffer a tough decision to make. James is youthful, strong, confident and not afraid to make a proper tackle—this is what the club needs. On the other hand, the skipper is the ultimate professional; he defines what Chelsea Football Club is all about—it is in his blood.
3. Previous meetings
The Blues travelled to Brighton just a matter of weeks ago for a friendly that ended 1-1. Despite Werner and Ziyech being influential, the draw leaves question marks surrounding Chelsea’s capabilities to break the Seagulls down.
In the two sides’ meetings last season, Chelsea gained just four points of a possible six. The first encounter, at the Bridge, Willian and Jorginho got on the scoresheet to ensure the clubs first clean sheet of the 2019/20 season. The second bout was a disappointing draw on New Year’s Day. After going 1-0 up inside the first 10 minutes through Azpilicueta, Alireza Jahanbakhsh scored an audacious overhead kick with five minutes to go gain his side a point.
If the Blues want to be taken seriously this season, they need to start off with three points.
What are three things you’ll be looking out for? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!