Potter’s Chelsea keep marching: lessons learned from Wolves win

Conor Gallagher has officially arrived at Chelsea Football Club

If Gallagher’s match-winning strike on the road against Crystal Palace was not enough, his outing against Wolves without a doubt sealed the deal. Following a dazzling campaign that earned him the player of the season for the Eagles last season, there was an enormous amount of hype, and pressure on Gallagher to perform at the level with his parent club. Gallagher tied Koulibaly for the most tackles on the team with five on top of completing the most crosses for the Blues in their third straight victory.

He played the second-most key passes and was constantly hustling for loose balls, picking the pockets of the opposition, and starting the counter-attack the other way for Chelsea. In games like these against bottom-level opponents, clubs need players like Gallagher; they have the drive to affect the game on both ends of the pitch. With Gallagher playing higher up the pitch, he had the opportunity to play his game, filled with creativity, and persistence with and without the ball. So far this season, Gallagher has the fourth-highest shot-creating actions per 90 minutes for players that have played 30 or more minutes for the Blues.

On top of that, he affects the game by getting back into the defense, blocking shots, and making crucial tackles that make him a fan favorite, but Potter may have found the perfect position for the player that has so much going for him after a stellar season on loan in south London. His winner at Selhurst Park may have just been the starting course, and if performances like this continue, Chelsea could give N’Golo Kanté more time for him to get back to 100 percent full fitness before he returns to the matchday squad.