Chelsea: Four lessons learned as Blues slide past Brighton

Chelsea began their Premier League campaign with a not so convincing nor comfortable win. What lessons can be learned from the match?

Chelsea kick-started their 2020/21 Premier League season in rather dull fashion with a less than comfortable win away to Brighton. In a game in which the scoreline did not necessarily reflect the overall balance of play, the Blues were unimaginative and poor for large parts of the match. However, considering the ridiculously short preseason that even had an international break sandwiched in between, Chelsea did ever so well to nevertheless come away with the win. Here are the lessons learnt from Brighton one, Chelsea three.

1. The Last Chance Saloon

It may be just the first official match of the new season, but with so many players still out due to injuries or general fitness issues, Frank Lampard’s first starting eleven had in it players who would otherwise find themselves on the periphery of the matchday squad. In other words, Monday’s match against Brighton was, for some, a rare opportunity to state their case as first-team regulars.

Considering the number of new faces that have been added to the club’s roster, making a good impression here would undoubtedly prove beneficial to said player’s chances at regular minutes this campaign. However, whereas players such as Ross Barkley and Callum Hudson-Odoi greatly impressed in their limited cameos off the bench with their directness and sharpness, it was a few of the starters who would be anxiously looking over their shoulders in wake of their lackluster performances.

One of the players who struggled the most in the 60-odd minutes he spent on the pitch was Ruben Loftus-Cheek. The Englishman looked completely out of his depth even at a time when the majority of players on both sides are not 100 percent match-fit. Brought into the starting eleven in hopes of offering some much-needed height in midfield, Loftus-Cheek instead found himself constantly bullied into surrendering possession in dangerous areas. His ball control was poor and his lack of spacial awareness made it clear that the midfielder was just not ready for this game at all.

Yes, some would point to the severity of his injury as well as the stop-start nature of the season prior as factors attributing to his poor displays on the pitch. However, it is important to note that for this game at least, Loftus-Cheek had way more time to train and prepare having missed out on the latest England squad. Yet, he was still way off the pace when compared to his teammates who had international duties to attend to. Moreover, when observing the progress that Callum Hudson-Odoi has made since he sustained a similar injury in and around the time period in which Loftus-Cheek sustained his and it is understandable why frustrations linger over the midfielder.

At 24 years of age and as one of the best paid players on the team, it is in moments like this that the Englishman has to step up to help the team tide through the constant pressure from the opposition. Instead, the Englishman found himself outdone by his eventual substitute and fellow compatriot Ross Barkley. It may still be early days to pass any concrete judgement on Loftus-Cheek but the fact remains that a long time has elapsed since fans last saw him at his very best. With the level of competition in midfield, one nonetheless wonders if there is still a place for the 24-year-old in the Chelsea of the future.