It finally happened, Chelsea finally gave up a goal. After going 5 of 6 matches without conceding a goal, Sheffield United finally nipped one in on the stonewall Edouard Mendy. No matter, Chelsea still came away with a strong win. Earlier last week, Chelsea faced Mendy’s former club Rennes in Champions League, blanking them 3-0 behind a couple of meh penalty calls that Timo Werner completed, but I want to focus more on Sheffield because it was the kind of game Chelsea played last year and even recently this year, where an early goal by the opposing team threatened to derail the entire operation. Towards, the end of last season, this same Sheffield United that’s currently flailing in the Premier League, hung a dominating 3-0 performance on Chelsea as the back line (and Kepa) crumbled against a stout defense and a clever attack. Only a few months later, Chelsea, with a new backline and goalkeeper ,trounced the same team through a completely remade team fully hitting its stride.
Sheffield got off to an advantageous start with consistent pressure on the Chelsea backline with strong midfield play coupled with clear chemistry at the front. Despite their record, Sheffield boast a strong attack that’s physical and Ben Chilwell especially struggled throughout this game with the physicality necessary to hold that side of the field. Off a couple of defensive lapses, Chelsea finally gave up their first goal in six matches that couldn’t really be stopped as the ball pinned its way around the box into the back of the net. I won’t say it was a lucky goal because it was planned, but as they say with every sport, it’s a game of inches. Fortunately, where Chelsea lacked the overwhelming firepower last year, it’s an abundance of riches now and while shaken as I was at the unfamiliar prospect of seeing goals scored on this team, I know the opportunities would come despite Christian Pulisic out with another injury and Kai Havertz recovering from COVID.
With injuries to star players like Pulisic and Havertz, it’s important to have a plan as a coach to at least attempt to foil an opponent’s plan even if the requisite staff aren’t available. Fortunately, this team has depth this year, something lacking pretty much the past two years. With Havertz out, Mason Mount, somewhat cringingly at times, stepped into a false 10 role, making his presence all over the field. He was joined by N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic in the midfield with Hakim Ziyech on the right wing, Tammy Abraham in the center and Werner on the left side. After the goal, Chelsea’s oddly formed trio went to work creating as many chances as they possibly could. From about the 20th minute on, Reece James, Chilwell and Ziyech found their way into getting every ball they wanted into the Sheffield box, forcing a lot of activity from Sheffield goalie, Aaron Ramsdale. Chelsea finally broke through in the 23rd minute to tie the game from a rare drive into the box from Kovacic and a mishit by Tammy that somehow found the net. What proceeded to happen after the goal was what this team envisioned for this season by investing so much in the backline. They held themselves together. Despite conceding early, they kept composure at the back end through Thiago Silva, Kurt Zouma and Mendy while James and Chilwell continued their calm approach to playing both sides of the ball. Kante continued being the best Chelsea player this season, controlling the entire field when necessary and with Mount and Kovacic, both definitely superior defenders to Jorginho and probably close to Havertz. It was easy to see how the calm sea of tranquility settled after Tammy’s goal.
With Havertz out, Ziyech really got to cook and he delivered deliciousness all over the field. His breathtaking cross in the 34th minute gave Chelsea the lead as Ben Chilwell put away the cross. As one of the first soccer players I really loved watching on Ajax, the sight of Ziyech doing this for my team just gave me the excitement I usually reserve for a Pulisic breakaway. Despite his age (27), Ziyech is still very much in the prime moment of his career and on Saturday, his showcase of skill proved exactly the reason he was signed. His constant pressure and aerial game with his crosses, gave Chilwell, Werner and Tammy every chance to pressure and breakdown this Sheffield side. I’ve said watching Lampard’s team that he’s over cautious, but I also believe this game finally proved that caution was a matter of circumstance rather than true strategy. With a young team last year, the possession game was key to ensuring any sort of success because pressing without the skill to properly cover led to the goal differential issues in the first place. It’s so clear now that Lampard trusts the skill of his players, especially Ziyech who’s been given every go ahead to press constantly and push the ball forward into the box. I fancied greatly the run of play through the midfield which gave Chelsea fast breaks, such an important momentum shifter and instant offense for any team. With a confident backline, capable of covering, Lampard has unleashed his legion of talent and let his players properly push the ball upfield. While James and Chilwell shot lasers in the box, Ziyech was Simo Hayha out there, constantly sniping into his teammates.
After halftime, Chelsea controlled this game with consistent pressure and interweaving midfield play that showcased the quality in midfield, reaffirming Lampard’s decision to let Mount play a deeper midfield role where he belongs. Mount pushed up a little too bit for my liking at times, but his motor and defensive tenacity made up for his still provincial focus in this offense. He still needs experience really running through the progressions of an offense. Jorginho came on for Kovavic and immediately made his lack of defensive presence known despite some good passes over to James to push the offense. Ziyech continued to impose himself, finally connecting on a corner with Silva to give Silva his first Chelsea goal, a romp of a header. It was Zoumaesque in its ferocity and I learned that despite his stature on the field, Silva is 6’, only three inches shorter than Zouma. Watching them, I figured it was more of a Chris Paul, James Harden thing, Silva just has a lower center of gravity and Zouma has legs for days. A mistake by Sheffield in the 80th minute gave Werner another goal as he smashed his way into the Golden Boot conversation. His run of form recently has been transcendent, just not as noteworthy given his pedigree. Maybe that’s not fair, or maybe it’s that the first time I saw him was as the lone striker on the defending World Cup Champion Germany team back in 2018. I figured a guy that young was an established world class striker, so I and other Chelsea fans expected his brilliance that did take time to come on. It’s full on Timo Time now and if Pulisic never gets healthy this season, he and Tammy seem to be developing a strong rapport only reinforced by Ziyech and the wing backs that will take the team somewhere nice. Giroud made an appearance late for Werner; the bizarre twin towers formation with Tammy and Giroud both strong pillars on the offensive end. While Giroud hasn’t seen much time this season, he’s clearly teaching Tammy his tricks for airplay and spacing as Tammy looks so much stronger with the ball at his legs this year. A mostly forgotten man with all the signings, Tammy stepped up and played so consistently well that Lampard is forced to play Werner out of position. Not a real problem since it’s working.
When this game ended, Chelsea moved into an international break along with everyone else. Pulisic has been called to play for the US men’s team in some friendlies, though he doesn’t appear fit enough to participate and why would he anyway. The first break afforded him more time to get healthy and while he performed well in subsequent matches, he still couldn’t stay healthy. I continue to stop myself from figuring out how to mail him good yoga workout DVDs since his injuries aren’t real chronic injuries. As the year closes with some fairly decent matchups, my great hope is that he feels my yoga energy, does it himself and properly learns to stretch so that he stops pulling his hamstring. Overall, this break will be nice for the young English Chelsea players to hopefully get some additional confidence with the national team along with others like Zouma, a relative national newcomer, and the Germans, Werner and Havertz. My hope is that these consistent breaks give Lampard the time to sit back and really understand his team more effectively to employ players in positions that highlight what they do best rather than forcing them into potentially uncomfortable situations. Bill Belichick always seeks to answer the question of “what does this player do well?”, a more positive focus that maximizes efficiency. Lampard’s working on that too with Ziyech getting the keys to creativity, Mount working in the midfield, Pulisic probably a super-sub for this season and Emerson never seeing the light of day in an important game, he appears to be understanding this principle. Take the time Frank, you’ve got a wonderful thing here, but like any young garden, it needs tending.
Bo's Gamut 