Chelsea three lessons from a glorified Champions League friendly

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LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 08: Richarlison of Everton and Billy Gilmour of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Everton FC at Stamford Bridge on March 08, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images) /

2. Billy Gilmour reminds that he is a first teamer, not an academy player

Welcome back Billy Gilmour. The Scottish youngster got his first Chelsea start since his injury last season and he picked up more or less where he left off. Rather than play deepest in midfield as he did at times last season, he took up one of the flying eight roles on the left side of midfield.

He was aggressive on and off the ball in nearly every way. It was easy to see that he was eager to impress and unlike Anjorin’s playing it safe, Gilmour (with the benefit of more experience) opted to ride the lightning.

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It is also hard not to compare Gilmour’s performance with Jorginho’s given both were no the pitch at the same time. Mind, Gilmour was playing a different role but his future as a deep playmaker or more of a box to box one is still a bit up in the air. Even still, he completely showed up Jorginho in nearly every way. It is worth noting that the same thing happened last season and the only reason Jorginho really returned to the side at all was Gilmour’s injury.

Gilmour did fantastic but it is worth noting that he may not be fully match fit yet. He is surely close, and then the only question is whether he simply becomes depth behind Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, and Kai Havertz or behind N’Golo Kante. With new signings on the way, Frank Lampard may lean towards the former. Especially after dismissing loan talk. Gilmour is back, and he is here to stay.

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