Overcoming mother nature: lessons learned in Chelsea’s Brighton win
In the midst of some of the most unfavorable weather conditions, Chelsea utilized depth to the best of its ability to collect a critical three points at the top of a tight Women’s Super League table. There was nothing pretty about this game, it was simply which team wanted it more with the circumstances of the playing surface being more suitable for swimming than playing football.
Some counter-attacks were stalled, and at some points in the match, it could be said, the puddles on the field acted as another player. Given the weather in and around London on Sunday throughout the day, Brighton considered moving the game until a later date, and at the end of the day, that may have been the smarter choice given the impact the wet pitch had on the fluidity of the contest.
When the final whistle blew, the Blues were delighted that they were able to get this game in with all the other fixtures coming up in the schedule. Pernille Harder’s smashing strike and Bethany England’s tap-in finish were enough to seal the deal on one of the toughest three points the Blues will earn at all this season.
The Danish attacker has played in two league games for Chelsea this season, netting three goals to draw level with Fran Kirby for the team lead in the WSL. For competitive clubs like CFCW, winning every trophy up for grabs each season is insurmountable, but having three No. 1 strikers on the roster provides the coaching staff with no poor option when selecting the starting IX.
Four new players for Chelsea earned their first start of the season, including two center-backs to pair alongside the club’s mainstay, Millie Bright. The lack of time between games provided the opportunity to give the Blues’ top three attackers a start on the bench along with Kadeisha Buchanan, who received a full day of rest on the bench. It can be said that each player that was given their first opportunity in the starting IX in Crawley on Sunday evening took full advantage of the chance in front of them.
After the two-goal win over Brighton in a muddy west Sussex, Paul Green explained the rotation among the squad:
"“There are so many games in quick succession that you’ve got to rotate at some time. We didn’t get back from Paris until half five, six o’clock on Friday morning so we’d got one day training. The quality in our squad, everybody is capable of playing, they’re all senior internationals…We’ve got to make those changes and I thought the players coming in did well tonight and have come out with the result we wanted.”"
England looked like she was out to prove to her national team that they should not leave her out of the team again, continuously getting the correct positions to put the ball into the back of the net. Eve Perisset started in her second league game in a row for the Blues, demonstrating that she can be a valuable asset on set-pieces, putting the ball into a dangerous area that resulted in the breakthrough converted by England. Jess Carter and Dutch defender Aniek Nouwen collected some minutes under their belt for the first team, helping the Blues along with an in-form Ann-Katrin Berger to a second consecutive clean sheet in all competitions. From an inspiring win through plenty of obstacles, here are the lessons from Chelsea’s fourth straight league victory.