Club football is officially back and that means Chelsea has nearly three games per week once again. The Blues have already seen off Brentford and Malmo since returning to Cobham, scoring five goals and allowing none in the process. They now prepare to face off against another newly promoted side at Stamford Bridge in Norwich City. The Canaries have found life in the top flight to be quite difficult, per usual. They sit bottom of the Premier League table, meaning Saturday afternoon’s clash is officially a David vs. Goliath match-up. It’s the league leaders against the lovable losers. Nevertheless, there is no shortage of talking points in this clash.
Here are three things to look for in Chelsea’s bout with Norwich:
1. Thomas Tuchel vs. Daniel Farke
Blues boss Thomas Tuchel and Norwich coach Daniel Farke have a close relationship. The two managers spent a couple of seasons together at Dortmund from 2015 to 2017, the former as the first team manager and Farke as BVB II’s leader. The two Germans are just four years apart in age, as well, so it’s easy to see why they get along so well. This connection between the two compatriots was on display a lot earlier this year when Billy Gilmour was loaned out to Norwich, but it all comes full circle on Saturday.
The two gaffers will go up against one another for the first time in their young managerial careers. Two months ago this seemed like a surefire battle between two similar tactical styles. Norwich used the three-at-the-back to earn promotion again from the Championship last season. Farke’s acquisition of Gilmour earlier this season was thought to signify his commitment to the shape as the young Scot is perfect for a pivot. Tuchel also transformed Chelsea’s formation en route to winning club football’s biggest prize. However, a few weeks are the equivalent of an eternity in the English top flight. There is now a bit more uncertainty as to how each side will set up.
Tuchel will line the Blues up in either a 3-4-3 or 3-5-2. The acquisition of Romelu Lukaku and subsequent attacking struggles saw Chelsea switch to the latter as of late. The Malmo match saw the 3-4-3 make an appearance for the first time in recent memory, but injuries to Timo Werner and Lukaku mean the Blues will have to improvise. Kai Havertz is a virtual lock to lead the line with young wingers either side of him. On the other side of the aisle, Farke has been plugging and playing, trying to get something to stick. Norwich has played with three, four and five at the back recently, there is truly no guessing how it’ll line up against Chelsea. The Canaries usually enjoy putting pressure on opponents, but pressing the Blues when out of possession for an entire game is suicide for bottom of the table teams.
Both managers will be fighting for different things in their first meeting. Tuchel will be looking to keep his Chelsea side atop the Premier League table a quarter of the way in. Meanwhile, Farke is fighting for his job. He was fortunate enough to survive relegation once but he’d be a miracle worker if he was able to do it twice. Norwich is already falling further and further behind the pack, it’d do well to take one point from this game.