Following the Chelsea Women continuing down the trend line of constant struggles to kick off each campaign, the Blues found themselves back at Kingsmeadow for a clash against one of their mightiest do foes season. Behind a sold-out crowd, a determined Chelsea side wavered the storm many times in the first half to play its best football so far this season, defeating the new-look Manchester City 2-0. From Lauren James’ calmness and quality on the right flank for the Blues to Erin Cuthbert putting together a world-class performance, owning the middle of the park with her unmatched physicality, there were plenty of positives to highlight from Chelsea’s must-win game against the Citizens.
After just 33 days of her announcement of her cancer recurrence, Ann Katrin-Berger made a heroic appearance in the starting IX, coming up in the moments when the Blues needed her the most between the sticks. Emma Hayes put out a very flexible formation that fluctuated quite a bit throughout the contest, but the key compared to the week prior was that Fran Kirby played much higher up the pitch in support of both James and Sam Kerr up top. Despite Kerr being just a step slow at the beginning of the season, James has found a place to shine after a year of learning the system.
Following a quality showing in front of their home support, Hayes expressed her thoughts on the Blues’ performance, stating, “Great second half from the team…thought we adapted really well to the challenges of the first half, lucky to go in 1-0 at halftime, but we have the quality to put balls in the back of the net. Kept a clean sheet, scored from a penalty, better all-around performance than last week…Finishes are so crucial to us, sometimes we have to adapt what we do…we needed a bit of momentum at the minute.”
Hayes was able to work around Pernille Harder’s injury with more time to prepare for it, and with Jessie Fleming back on the pitch after missing out in the opener, the Blues had a much more dynamic player alongside Cuthbert to start the match compared to the previous weekend. Khadija “Bunny” Shaw and Lauren Hemp may have asked plenty of questions of the Blues’ defense on Sunday evening, but unlike in Prenton Park, a team effort on the defensive end combined with Berger’s five saves and 11 ball recoveries, Chelsea locked up a crucial clean sheet ahead of a midweek fixture against its London rivals, West Ham United. From a rollercoaster first half to a more routine second, the Blues capture their first win of many in this new WSL campaign, here are the lessons learned.
Physicality is key for success going forward
Right out of the gate, Manchester City took the game to Chelsea, and if it wasn’t for some fine saves by Berger, the Blues could have found themselves in a deep hole early on. Chelsea was forced to defend nine corners in total, and while none of them found the back of the net, most of them threatened enough to cause some sort of concern. Shaw’s strength and persistence on the ball allowed City to extend the play that more often than not led to a half chance. Mille Bright and Kadeisha Buchanan had their hands full in the opening 20 minutes. Gareth Taylor’s side collected more shots on target than the Blues with five, and whether it was Laura Coombs’ chance at the end of the first half or Lauren Hemps’ near post run, Manchester City took advantage of a Chelsea side that did not look ready for the punch in the mouth that it should have expected from a top-level side.
It was the timely stops by Maren Mjede and the assistance of the midfield that saved the Blues from being torn apart in the first 45 minutes. While Chelsea did get pushed around quite a bit in the attack and in the backline, having not registered a shot on target until Kirby opened up the scoring, the attitude of the team as a whole completely shifted once the second-half whistle blew. The Blues were winning 50-50 balls in the air, and coming up with decisive tackles in a potential build-up by Manchester City, allowing for Chelsea to give itself a runway to build off of going back to Kingsmeadow on Wednesday night.
Lauren James’ ceiling is through the roof after another stellar outing
After just two contests under her belt in the starting IX for Hayes’ side, James has found herself a spot on the right wing. Just like her brother on the men’s side, James makes it look almost effortless with the ball at her feet. From dazzling footwork to her decision-making in the final third, there was not a single thing James could not do running at the backline of Manchester City. While Kerr continues to look for a way to get back on track following a controversial opening match, James has been the catalyst in the attack.
She arguably deserves a goal by now due to all of the work she has done to create quality opportunities. Her strike with her left foot in the 71’ nearly found the top right corner, but the football gods made James wait even longer for that well-deserved goal. In the public’s eye, this season was a statement one for the English international, who had been on the pitch sporadically in her first season in west London, after coming over from Manchester United for a record transfer fee.
With an inferior opponent on tap compared to the one that the Blues faced in their home opener, Hayes could look to rotate a few of her players in the starting IX. James should not even be in consideration due to the amount of momentum she is riding from a sensational preseason to her world-class beginning to the 2022/23 campaign. It is only a matter of time until James finds the scoresheet, but until then, Blues fans get to marvel at how swift and fluid James’ footwork is.
Erin Cuthbert may be Chelsea’s most integral piece
Flying under the radar in each game is always the play of the Blues’ talented Scottish midfielder. Cuthbert pieced together an outing in the defensive midfield role, winning the most tackles on the team with four, finishing with a team-high 12 recoveries, and completing 37 of her 50 passes. She may only be 1.63 m, but she is a force to be reckoned with in the middle of the pitch, continuously breaking up passes as the away side was attempting to get itself back in the game. The Scottish international won six ground duels which were the most on the Blues over 90 minutes, demonstrating once again to wreak havoc on the opposition’s desire to push forward.
It is still in question if Cuthbert will be able to continue these kinds of performances as the fixture list becomes heavier, but after her outing on Sunday at Kingsmeadow, there is no doubt that she may be the most irreplaceable piece to this Chelsea team. Her work ethic allows for players like James, and Kirby to have the ball at their feet in dangerous positions. Whenever the Blues needed just a little bit of creativity to open up the play, Cuthbert was there to switch the field of play and ignite a transition attack with a precise pass between the lines. Sometimes Cuthbert’s physicality can get the best of her, having collected the most fouls on the team in league play last season, but each one of them serves a purpose, and that is what makes Cuthbert stand out compared to the rest of the midfielders around the WSL.