Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool: 3 Blues positives and negatives from first game
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Less than a week before the season started it was announced on the Chelsea website that right-back Reece James would be named new club captain. His fellow England international left-back Ben Chilwell would be named vice-captain as well.
Today in their first game in their new respective roles, the two English wingbacks shined bright in front of the Stamford Bridge faithful. James was dynamic with the ball going forward, constantly whipping balls into the middle trying to service his teammates in order for them to score. From a defensive perspective, he looked shrewd trying to contain Liverpool’s star-filled set of attacking players but held firm throughout the game.
Chilwell from the other side of the pitch also did a good job of going forward with the ball at his feet, making passes and getting involved in the attack. The lone goal Chelsea scored came from a tap-in by new center-back Axel Disasi who scored on his debut. It wouldn’t have happened without a header from Chilwell. He even scored a goal that gave Chelsea a 2-1 lead but was disallowed for offsides.
James came out of the game around the 75th minute and looked to be hurt, which caused most CFC fans to worry because of his injury history and his importance to the team. Luckily, it was just fatigue. After the game Pochettino told reporters that “Reece James was tired, not injured.”