Chelsea’s team standing has changed from being a good team to being a silverware winning level squad and the best is yet to come.
The Blues and their long underrated and underappreciated center forward Olivier Giroud put an exclamation point on their current top performances by trouncing a very solid Sevilla squad four-nil and in the process stunning the football world. Giroud has clearly proven, even before his recent perfect hat-trick plus quad against Sevilla, that he has to play if the Blues are to actually be Champions. Giroud’s recent performances going back to the end of last season when he led the squad to a third place finish, has proven that he’s a key component of a squad rotation. This squad can quite simply compete now compete for silverware in any competition in which they participate. And that’s a new development.
This author has been consistent in calling for Giroud’s inclusion in the team as a starter and rotational player in this Blues’ side. Hopefully, it has now become obvious just how much Giroud adds to this team and its championship hopes. Timo Werner has yet to realize his potential scoring ability and it says here it’s simply because he’s been overworked and over used. He’s too talented a player to be missing sitters as often as he is.
He’s clearly physically and mentally (a key point) fatigued and needs to be rested to stay at his absolute best. Player time management has to improve and it is improving. Giroud’s insertion finally as a starter is an indicator and immediately paid dividends. Adding players like Callum Hudson-Odoi to the mix will pay more dividends in the future, as well. And that’s just a start.
Chelsea fans have hardly seen the best yet neither from Werner nor from their other stellar additions like Hakim Ziyech and Kai Havertz. Despite that, they have reeled off 14 games without a loss and are playing excellent football. The squad rotation against Sevilla demonstrated clearly that Chelsea’s bench players are first-team players for many other teams. They need to play and not languish on the pine game after game.
Eventually, such players will not be happy unless they are in the first team. That’s a fact of life for teams with terrific depth. Yet, until that time arrives, there are plenty of minutes for all of these excellent players. These are not chopped liver players on Chelsea’s bench. And when it does arrive, the talent in the academy will be ready to take up the slack.
When players such as Werner, Ziyech, Pulisic, and Havertz are back in top form, this team will have juggernaut potential. And, with Edouard “Clean Sheet” Mendy now in goal, they can beat any team in the world on any given day. That couldn’t be said last season or even earlier this season. But it is possible now. When this team is totally fit and acclimated, it could contend not only for the Premier League title but for the top in Europe, as well. That just wasn’t a possibility last season.
The key to the remainder of the season will be man management at Chelsea. Indubitably this team has the talent to do great things. Of course, they have to avoid debilitating long-term injuries. And they happen. But, as the club has already suffered its share over the last season, maybe their time to enjoy good health and fitness is just around the corner. Let’s hope so.
But in any event, few teams are as well constituted as Chelsea to overcome an injury or two to a key player. They have such quality depth all around the pitch, that it’s almost unfair to their opponents. Almost. The key is to use what’s available to the best of its possible implementation. That’s the lot of the manager. Let’s see if Frank Lampard can move the chess pieces around to keep his players rested, fit, and happy. Nobody said it was easy. Yet, how well it’s carried out could well determine if silverware is in the Blues’ future this season or not.