Three key clashes as Chelsea look for group stage dominance

Chelsea faces off against Rennes as they look to establish group stage dominance in the second half of the first stage of the Champions League.

No rest for the wicked as Chelsea bounces straight from an early Saturday kickoff into an early Tuesday kickoff against Rennes. A win would nearly guarantee the Blues a place in the knockout rounds but Rennes will not make it easy. The French side is more likely to give a go at the Blues now and Frank Lampard’s team must be ready.

1. Will the real Rennes please stand up?

Rennes didn’t have a fair shake in the reverse fixture. They were missing several players through injury and then had an early and extremely dubious red card. Chelsea beat them on autopilot after that in what is hardly a true reflection of the quality of the French side.

That being said, even if Rennes was full up, they have played extremely passively throughout the Champions League campaign in opposition to their usual Ligue 1 style. The same skeletal structure is there, but it is as if they atrophy for the Champions League and play far too safe for their own good.

Rennes will again be facing an injury crisis, but the wonderkid Eduardo Camavinga is expected to be back. That will give the French side a boost, but only if they allow him to do his job. If they play as cautiously as they have homefield advantage and a wonderkid might not matter against this Chelsea.

2. Fitness, Rotation, and the Horizon

This is a very recurring theme in these key classes, but the battle between consistency and rotation is one sided for Lampard at the moment. On the one hand, it is understandable to play the players in form and allow them to build on pitch relationships. On the other hand, some of these players are rapidly approaching 20 games played for club and country this season and it isn’t even December.

Furthermore, there is the not so small matter of Tottenham Hotspur on the weekend. Jose Mourinho could care less about the Europa League so he’ll surely send his B team out on Spursday, er, Thursday. Chelsea has a very solid hold on at least second in the group and could afford to rotate, but a loss and any Sevilla result would make that match a must win for first place.

Worst case scenario is Lampard starts a strong line up, the Blues win comfortably, but someone gets hurt. That would leave Chelsea both tired for Spurs and shorthanded. But can Lampard afford to rotate? Or is ensuring first in the group more important? And if that is the case, does Chelsea have enough in the tank to go toe to toe with Tottenham this weekend?

3. Momentum and stagnation

Tied closely to fitness and rotation is momentum and stagnation. Chelsea very much has momentum right now. They are winning games with ease by the final whistle after wearing the opponent down and then pouncing. It does not appear as though Rennes will be a side equipped to stop them.

But at the same time, Chelsea is starting to get a little stale. They aren’t creating nearly as many chances as they were and they are quietly relying more and more on set pieces or perfect moments to hit the back of the net. The same players are playing game in and game out and the same ideas are being used. Use the same technique enough and someone is bound to catch on.

Obviously it is hard to build chemistry when constantly rotating. At the same time, it is also hard to plan against an opponent when it is hard to tell who will start. Against Rennes it really shouldn’t matter, but best believe that Mourinho will have his notebook out if he doesn’t already have a scheme put together.

What key clashes do you think will decide this one? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter!