Chelsea mostly does everything they need to do against Chesterfield

Chesterfield was never going to cause Chelsea any real issues, especially with the starting XI Thomas Tuchel selected. Most everything went right. It was only ever really going to be a question of how many goals the match would see. The answer was ultimately six with Chesterfield getting a late consolation goal after the Blues decided defense was more of a feeling than a tangible thing.

The question of the formation was pretty quickly settled. It wasn’t the 3-5-2/4-4-2 hybrid shape used against Tottenham, though it shared many traits. Instead, it was more of a standard 3-4-1-2 with Hakim Ziyech and Callum Hudson-Odoi filling in as the wingbacks. Christian Pulisic was given the floating role underneath Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner with Saul Niguez and Mateo Kovacic running the pivot.

But arguably the standout of the match was youngster Lewis Hall on his debut. Played out of his “natural” position, Hall was everywhere. It was hard to even tell he is not a defender by trade. He was calm, cool, and collected on the ball and made many of his peers look like it was their debut instead of his. It was, of course, just a National League opponent but the youngster did not wilt on the occasion.

It was also excellent to see every player that needed a good moment get one. Ziyech was fantastic all match. Pulisic again drew a penalty as he assisted the side (though somewhat quietly compared to others).  Werner and Lukaku both notched goals and showed a growing partnership. Even Andreas Christensen, more out the door than in, managed to add to his goal scoring tally this season.

If there was any negative to be taken from the match at all, it would be the failure of Xavier Simons or Charlie Webster to see the pitch. Yes, there are many forces at play when deciding who starts and who comes on. Tuchel has to keep players happy and at the end of the day it is harder to keep the seniors happy than the kids. Kai Havertz coming on at least made sense from a match fitness perspective. Arguably Ruben Loftus-Cheek as well if he is to be relied on for the rest of the season if not beyond. But Lewis Baker and Ross Barkley? Those are head scratchers.

If it was the old shop window excuse, it is unclear what team will have gone from unconvinced to convinced based on a performance against a team 91 spots below Chelsea. The simple fact of that matter is that both Baker and Barkley’s time at the club has come and gone. That doesn’t hold true for the likes of Webster and Simons. They may not be the future, but they could be unlike Baker and Barkley. It seemed like a waste to not include them and one that hopefully does not trigger a youth exodus like last summer.

Hopefully, however, Chelsea draws another lower league team next round and the fortunes change for Webster and Simons. Maybe for Harvey Vale as well who is clearly liked by Thomas Tuchel but only got to make a sub appearance. And it would of course be excellent for Hall to get more chances.

But maybe even more important is the Blues got the job done in a way that was expected of them. No injuries, some players got some match fitness, and others got to be rested altogether. The Blues now look ahead to the second leg of the League Cup semifinal against a Tottenham side that is already behind the eight ball.