Chelsea versus Brentford was a brilliant Premier League match that will be remembered for years, however, for Chelsea fans, the match was extremely nail-biting and tense. This was a match between the newcomers in the PL versus the Champions Of Europe. The odds were all favoring Chelsea and although the Blues did manage to go home with a victory, the match was much closer than anticipated. The West London side was expected to easily swipe aside the Bees however, the newly-promoted side was ready to give a proper fight and they could have easily equalized and even won the game. Three points are three points no matter how you win, however, the lack of attacking intent from Chelsea in the second half could have really created some big problems.
The first half of the game went as expected with Chelsea dominating the possession and creating most of the attacks. Romelu Lukaku was unlucky to not get onto the scoresheet however, a brilliant volley from Ben Chilwell gave the Blues the lead in the heated derby match. However, in the second half, the Bees were by far the more dominant side in terms of attacking football. While Chelsea was still overall the better team, it was lacking in the midfield and Brentford created attacks after attacks. The Championship play-off winners showed a lot of heart and determination to push the European kings to the edge, however, it was just not enough to beat Edouard Mendy.
Chelsea must make use of their amazing forwards and score more goals in order to take the pressure off the defense.
The Senegalese goalkeeper was the reason for Chelsea’s victory. The Bees took 17 shots towards goal and Mendy did not let one go in. He also closed down players very well and even had to tackle inside the box. He was an absolute 10 out of 10 in the game. However, it was a very lucky game for the Blues as they managed to withhold a lot of pressure from their derby rivals, and two shots from Bryan Mbeumo hit the post. While it was a good performance defensively, it was a shambolic performance in the attack.
Chelsea has been focusing a lot on their defensive half and not enough on creating attacks. Last season their high pressing counter-attacking style work out a lot however, this season without the support from players like Kai Havertz and Mason Mount, the Blues are struggling. The European Champions should not be pushed to the limit against a newly promoted team. Their lack of attacking intent was the problem against Manchester City as well.
Holding off attacks after attacks from the opponents is a good attribute but the team cannot just rely on the keeper and the defenders. We have world-class attackers who need to up their game. The midfield needs to make more clear cut chances and Lukaku needs to be utilized better by Thomas Tuchel. We need to utilize the attacking strengths of Lukaku, Timo Werner, Mount, Havertz, Christian Pulisic, etc.
The Blues have so many talented forwards but right now only the defense is keeping them at the top of the table. In order for Tuchel’s men to win the English Premier League, they will need to score more goals and finish off games before the other team can start putting too much pressure. The one-goal lead cannot be protected always and that is why the Blues must finish off the game as soon as possible, with more goals.
Do you think Chelsea has what it takes to win the Premier League this season, or does Tuchel needs more time? Let us know in the comments down below!