Chelsea rose to the occasion to see off Borussia Dortmund in a night that many perceived as an extremely important one for the under pressure Graham Potter. CFC is now through to the quarterfinals after winning 2-1 on aggregate, and while there is still the problems in the league, The Blues still have a chance to qualify for next season’s Champions League by winning the current campaign. Everyone in the community needed this win, as well as the performance, and they got in last night. It was a great team performance, but there were standouts. Here are four positives from the second leg of the Round of 16 tie.
Kalidou Koulibaly (No. 26) Centerback, Senegal
Koulibaly deserves so much credit, especially from the fans, after how much he has struggled this season. The Senegal captain mentioned himself that he has struggled with the Premier League. Some were already linking him with a move away from Stamford Bridge despite having only spent eight months at the club and being on a five-year contract. This attitude of writing off players after a short period of time doesn’t indicate standards at all, it indicates an insensitive section of football fandom that expects players to show what they’re about quickly or else it means they’re not up to it.
Yes, Koulibaly had not been great in blue, but it’s not uncommon for players to come into the league and struggle, and it doesn’t say anything about football ability. Koulibaly’s performances have picked up in the past week and it is credit to him. He had a great performance against Leeds United and was also Chelsea’s best performing defender against Dortmund in the Blues’ big win.
Koulibaly led the centerbacks in defensive actions, making 11 in total. He made six clearances, two interceptions and three key tackles. He also won the most duels, and the highest proportion of attempted duels too, winning 8/12, including 4/4 ground duels. His passing was not great, as he only completed 78 per cent of his passes and 2/3 of his long balls. His passing accuracy was only 4% less than Wesley Fofana’s, who had the highest passing accuracy amongst the centerbacks.
Chelsea back three
Potter switching to a back three also played a role in Chelsea’s performance and win. The extra centerback gave the defenders some cover, and some reassurance to the central midfielders in and out of possession. This was also the case against Leeds United when the three-centerback formation was used. Potter had been trying to play a four-man defense for long, despite it not yielding good performances nor results. He finally resorted to a back three and the performances have picked up, not to mention the results. Chelsea created seven big chances in their last two games, while winning both games. In a way, this may also vindicate Thomas Tuchel by showing that the squad is better suited to a back-three. Tuchel came in and immediately went to a back three despite Frank Lampard, his predecessor, playing a back four for the first 19 league games.
Tuchel’s change immediately made Chelsea more structured defensively, as well as making buildup easier thanks to Thiago Silva, Jorginho and Antonio Rudiger. CFC supporters have clamored for a back four for a long time, and many of them have kept silent despite Potter using a back four and the Blues’ being underwhelming. Potter should be given some credit for sticking with the back three after Leeds, though that’d be giving him credit for not being senselessly stubborn.
Ben Chilwell (No. 21) Left wingback, England
Chilwell was great. He provided width for the team on the left flank. His crosses were generally very good, completing 2/7. He created two chances, including one clear cut chance and he won 4/7 ground duels. He made two key blocks and was very hardworking throughout his time on the pitch, not giving the Dortmund players breathing room.
Kai Havertz (No. 29) Center forward, Germany
Havertz led the line very well. He contested a whopping 15 duels, though he only won six of them, but contesting 15 duels as a center forward shows how hardworking you’ve been. His ball-retention was very good, completing 87% of his passes. He completed 3/3 dribbles, created two chances, took five shots, and gathered an xG of 1.06, that’s 0.21 xG/shot, which is insane. His finishing was not great, but he’s never been a great finisher anyway. His role in the win cannot be overstated, and his goal, despite it being a penalty, calmed everyone’s nerves. It was also his goal that ultimately saw the Blues get past Dortmund.
Kepa Arrizabalaga (No. 1) Goalkeeper, Spain
It would be unfair to conclude this piece without giving credit to Arrizabalaga. He was solid throughout the match and made some key saves. His distribution was OK, and he saved all four shots he faced. Arrizabalaga has performed well enough to stand with the best of them in Europe this season, and that’s credit to him, considering that he has been the second choice keeper for all of the last two seasons and part of the current one.