The good form in the EFL Cup continues for Chelsea as they overcame Blackburn Rovers to advance to the quarter-finals. The championship side put up a fight before conceding two for nothing. The result will give Mauricio Pochettino’s side some confidence before they visit Tottenham Hotspur.
The performance was not ideal. Blackburn might have got a penalty some other day. Here are three talking points from the match.
1. Finishing continues to be an issue for Chelsea
The one quality that separates top-level attackers from the rest is their ability to finish off the chances. Nicolas Jackson once again proved why he is still far from reaching that stage. He missed several opportunities created for him.
To be fair to Jackson, the issue prevails for most Blues when they are in a position to take a shot. Their first move is to create space on their preferred foot. In the Premier League, that is a luxury. The goal Benoit Badiashile scored is a perfect example of it. Since he is not someone who finds himself with a chance to take a shot, he does not care about space or anything. His first thought is to shoot it the first time.
The training videos Chelsea’s social media team posts prove players can finish off chances. But the stakes are different during a match. The team’s prospect depends on how quickly the players can reduce the level they can produce between the two.
2. Duality of Raheem Sterling
It was a mixed first-half performance from Sterling on Wednesday night. One moment, the English winger was running at defenders, and in another, he was slowing down Chelsea’s counterattack before giving away the ball.
However, in the second half, the former Manchester City player was in a different mood. He removed the flaws from the first half and was a constant menace to the opposition. He scored a deserving goal as Chelsea got their second of the night.
CFC needs more of Sterling’s second-half performance. Defenders were unable to stop him, and he made their life difficult. As the senior player in the squad, he has some responsibilities to provide inspiration and leadership to young players around him.
3. Silverware hope is still alive.
At this stage, EFL Cup remains Chelsea’s best chance for a trophy. After results on other matches, Manchester United and Arsenal have also exited from the tournament. Apart from Chels‘ and Liverpool, the rest of the teams are not used to this stage. However, clubs like West Ham United and Newcastle United are good enough to win the cup.
The Blues will host Newcastle in the next round. By then, Christopher Nkunku, Romeo Lavia, and Carney Chukwuemeka should all be fit and available. It will be a big boost for Pochettino as well. At the moment, the Carabao Cup represents CFC’s best path to European football for the next season.