Chelsea has come through yet another London derby without a win. This is a consecutive derby draw for CFC. The Blues seemed to have West Ham United right where they wanted them in the first 20 minutes. However, David Moyes reacted better to his team being abysmal for that period comparatively Graham Potter’s game management, with the away side losing the control they had in the initial stage. It was a first goal for Joao Felix in Blue, linking up with Enzo Fernandes, who provided a superb assist. Some fans are demanding Potter’s head after another unimpressive encounter, but here are three positives and three negatives from an underwhelming performance.
Chelsea Positives
The presence of Enzo Fernandez
Fernandez played another key role for the Blues as he dictated play for Potter’s men from the middle of the pitch. He was everywhere. He completed 84 passes (89 per cent) and completed an incredible 7/9 long balls. He made 10 progressive passes and created a clear cut chance. He was incredible.
The explosiveness of Joao Felix
Felix was Chelsea’s most dangerous player on the pitch against West Ham. His movement was quite good in and out of possession. He made the intelligent run that opened up the passing option for Chelsea’s goal. He made three progressive carries and five progressive passes. He also completed 2/4 dribbles.
The reliability of Badiashile-Silva partnership
They are world class defenders. Thiago Silva has been consistent since he came into the side, but the addition of Benoit Badiashile has proven decisive so far. Badiashile has been solid, especially in the air. So far he has won four aerial duels per game at an 80% rate. His passing has also been outrageously good, making three progressive passes against West Ham. In the four matches he has played for Chelsea, he has averaged 81 passes per game at a 91% completion rate. He has also completed 3.8 long balls at an impressive 58% success rate.
Negatives
Graham Potter’s team selection
To be somewhat fair to Potter, he got it right for the most part, but Noni Madueke should not have started over Hakim Ziyech. Ziyech has started four consecutive games before the West Ham match and he had created at least one clear-cut chance in each of those games, in fact creating two in the Liverpool game alone. CFC lacks players that consistently create chances, but Ziyech is of the few players that is actually good at it. With five big chances created, Ziyech leads all Chelsea players in the Premier League except Conor Gallagher, who has also created five.
And that is not every mistake: Madueke didn’t justify a start. He completed 4/7 dribbles, although most of them were sideways as he only made one progressive carry in the 67 minutes he was on the pitch
Lack of sharpness in the final third
Chelsea got many opportunities to win the game, but two scenarios come to mind: They were similar scenarios too. In both cases, Ziyech was wide-open and unmarked in the West Ham penalty box, a player was running down Chelsea’s left flank and had to opportunity to play a ball across goal for Ziyech to tap-in. None of those passes ever arrived. This, along with many other things showed that the Blues were not sharp enough in the final third especially considering how often the Blues went forward
Reece James’s picnic at the back post
James was one of the more culpable players for the game that the Blues conceded. James was picking up no one. I’m pointing this out because no one seems to have mentioned. Even watching a replay, it is difficult to pinpoint who James was marking. The problem is that this isn’t a first time thing, it’s not uncommon. James often gets caught asleep at the back post on defensive situations. He has to improve this and make sure he’s more alert in the future