The Pride of London
Fansided

Three lessons learnt as Chelsea beats Newcastle 2-0

By Hridyam Arora

Chelsea's German head coach Thomas Tuchel celebrates at the final whistle during the English Premier League football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, on February 4, 2021. (Photo by Clive Rose / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by CLIVE ROSE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Chelsea's German head coach Thomas Tuchel celebrates at the final whistle during the English Premier League football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, on February 4, 2021. (Photo by Clive Rose / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by CLIVE ROSE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 3
Next
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 15: Mateo Kovacic of Chelsea battles for possession with Andy Carroll of Newcastle United during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge on February 15, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 15: Mateo Kovacic of Chelsea battles for possession with Andy Carroll of Newcastle United during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge on February 15, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /

Mateo Kovacic is absolutely brilliant

If you’ve seen Mateo Kovacic at his absolute best, you’d know that he hasn’t been that version of himself for a little while this season. If you’ve seen him do what he can do, you know that he hasn’t been asked to do it that often this season. Believe me when I say that the best version of Mateo Kovacic has been revived by Thomas Tuchel

Ever since Tuchel arrived, Kovacic has been performing well in all his games. But man, he hasn’t played this well in months! Everything he touched turned to gold, whatever he wanted to do he was doing, the real Kovacic was on full display against Newcastle. His one-touch passing to break Newcastle’s press was very satisfying to watch. This is kind of an underrated trait of his, but sometimes he throws defenders off guard by using the outside of his boot to pass the ball, in tight spaces, and it works so well. He dribbles through the press due to his excellent ball-carrying ability, and again, we’ve been seeing more of that ever since Tuchel arrived, and we saw that against Newcastle. There was one sequence where he took the ball and just went on a run, beating defenders with ease, and then linked up very well in the attacking third. but that, unfortunately, didn’t result in a goal. 96 touches, 84/87 passes completed, five out of five dribbles completed, two chances created, four tackles, it was just so beautiful.

Next. Chelsea: It will be a tragedy if Billy Gilmour misses the Euros. dark

I’ve been following Kovacic since his Inter days. I’m a massive fan of this player, as you can probably tell, and this was just so pleasing to watch. On the defensive end, he was very aware as well. It was a near-perfect performance from the Croatian, and it must get Chelsea fans excited when they think about what’s more to come from the magician.

Home/Premier League