It wasn’t the most straightforward performance in the world from Chelsea, but at the end of the day, the Blues found a way to dig out a win. That is what the top teams do, and despite a poor second half with a lack of urgency like in the first 45 minutes, CFC maintains its position at the top of the table heading into the break.
Reading’s position in the table is always deceiving, as it continuously puts out a competitive side that always seems to challenge the west London side in some way. Head coach, Kelly Chambers has ambitions into progressing this club forward, and that second-half display was a step in the right direction for the Royals. Using Millie Bright’s consistency in the defense and Jelena Cankovic running the show in the middle of the pitch, the Blues outlasted the Berkshire side with a sublime and composed first-half performance.
Two goals for the Royals within two minutes of each other caught the Blues off guard, but three substitutions within the next 10 minutes including Jessie Fleming in the midfield began to settle things down, and pushed Chelsea forward, as it looked for a fourth goal to seal the contest. Manchester United dropped points in third position, leaving a gap of five points between the west London outfit and the Red Devils with Marc Skinner’s side possessing a game in hand. Two Champions League contests await the Blues before a long hiatus, and despite being three points ahead of the Gunners, there is no room to get comfortable. With yet another victory at Kingsmeadow confirmed, here are the lessons from a snowy, and always tricky night out against Reading:
Jelena Cankovic adds a new element to the Chelsea midfield
Emma Hayes rotated six players from the meeting with Real Madrid during the midweek, and in her first start in a Blue shirt, the Serbian international, Cankovic demonstrated why she had been so highly regarded at the club since her arrival over the summer. Before her outing against the Royals, Cankovic had only played a maximum of 28 minutes for Chels’ before Sunday as she has been dealing with a nagging muscle injury for several weeks. Within the first 45 minutes, the Serbian netted two goals, including a world-class finish with her head from a looping cross by Erin Cuthbert to put the icing on the cake of a first half to remember for Chelsea.
Some could argue that Johanna Rytting Kaneryd was offside in the build-up to the first goal, but it was Cankovic’s awareness to take the free kick as quickly as possible that led to Fran Kirby smashing the ball into the back of the net for the first breakthrough of the match. Her reaction to net the second of the game was brilliant. Rytting Kaneryd’s shot fired off the post, and within seconds, the Serb was onto it – punishing the Reading backline for not clearing the ball away from danger fast enough.
Cankovic led the team in total shots and progressive passes in just 69 minutes of play. As a No.10, the playmaker demonstrated just how much her vision and movement off the ball could affect the game when healthy. Both Hayes’ team and Arsenal battled in the summer to sign the Serbian from the Damallsvenskan, and even as it has been a tough few months for Cankovic with the Blues, she proved she is no doubt a valuable piece to CFC’s success in all competitions heading into the rest of the campaign.
Versatility of this team matters to Emma Hayes
It was not only the rotation, Hayes demonstrated the versatility of the players on her roster this season. Swedish attacker, Rytting Kaneryd seemed to be playing right wing-back with Niamh Charles slotted on the opposite side as the Blues played a back three with Eve Perisset as the right center-back in the backline. When Hayes was recruiting players to come to CFC over the summer, there was a clear similarity between all of them.
Perisset can play both as a right wing-back or as a lone wing-back on either side, depending on the opposition. Deploying Rytting Kaneryd as a wingback in support of Cankovic going forward may have discouraged her willingness to go forward a little, but it was clear given her trait of creativity, the Swede has the talent to play all over the pitch.
Jess Carter, who predominantly plays as a center back, has found time on the pitch this season playing higher up the pitch, like against the Royals as a left-wing back. When it comes to the midfield and a lot of the defenders on this roster, Hayes has made it clear, she is going to cultivate exactly what she desired to take this team over the hump during the previous transfer window. Who knows what other tricks Hayes has up her sleeve at Stamford Bridge against Paris Saint-Germain, but over the first few months of the season, Hayes has found at least one way in each match to utilize the vast array of versatility to provide some of her most essential pieces rest when they need it the most.
Minor lapses later on could result in a catastrophe
Within the span of just a few minutes, Chambers’ side got themselves back into the match through two completely preventable goals. When talking about the Blues, and their backline, it has to be a focus on controlling what you can control. Some players are simply brilliant, and there is almost nothing a team can prevent a goal from happening, but in Chelsea’s case, most of the goals that have been conceded have been ones it could have easily dodged.
Against Los Blancos, Ann-Katrin Berger’s poor pass led straight to Real Madrid snatching the lead away from CFCW when the Blues could have walked into halftime content knotted up a zero apiece following a half they knew was not up to standard. Just a few matches before that, Erin Cuthbert’s uncharacteristic mistake resulted in Manchester United moving one goal closer to drawing the match level.
Given the talent that is on this roster top to bottom, there may be some contests where they can get away with it, but in battles against Arsenal, and top European competition, the backline has to avoid those costly errors. On Sunday night at Kingsmeadow, it was not the most obvious of mistakes that caused two quick goals, but it was the lack of attention and awareness for that short space in time that proved to be the Blues’ demise. Whether it is not marking Amalie Eikeland right in the heart of the box or failing the clear the ball when absolutely necessary, small lapses have the ability to become costly. CFC dealt with the Reading press very well in the first half, playing out of the back with extreme calmness, but against higher-level opposition, there is going to be no room to rest, even when the scoreline reads 3-0.