Perfect Start to the Season: What to Make of It so Far

Sorry my friends! Med school life has not been kind to my free time so I have had no time to write a meaningful post…I think I may start to post small snippets and thoughts as opposed to actual analysis and posts depending on my schedule…but again my apologies. 

Well in the past two weeks, we have seen our Blues storm to first place at the top of the table and a perfect start with three wins in just as many games. Before we get too excited thought, let us take a step back and think about some things. Our first two games were against Burnley and Leicester City. Respectable teams without a doubt but still at the end of the day, freshly promoted teams who will most likely be fighting to stay in the top flight this year. For Chelsea, in my opinion, it was not a question of “if” but more of a question of “by how much” when it came to the result of these games. These are the type of games that gave us trouble last year and it was very relieving for me to see Chelsea come through in emphatic fashion. The game especially against Leicester City was a strong comparison point in terms of this year and last year. The team started a little bit flat and really could not get anything going in the final third; the passing was sloppy, the decision making poor, and the runs simply not there. The Chelsea of last year would have had struggled to get a goal in the second half and may have limped to a draw. However, with the new signings of Costa and Fabregas, and the much improved talents of Schurrle and Hazard, we were able to crack the wall in front of us and cruise to a comfortable victory. This win to me has been our most important so far. We were able to finish off a lower level team and secure the three points that were expected of us. 

This past week’s match against Everton was entertaining to watch no doubt but left some positive and some negatives. Starting with the positives, I think it is safe to say that the “boring, park the bus” Chelsea is long gone. Even though they gave up 6 goals, Everton by no means played a poor match, their defense may have been poor for many a stretch but they still played well. Chelsea’s attack had a fluidity and menace to it that we have not seen in a long time. There was a focus and intensity that we had lacked many a time last year. Any hint of injury to Costa was simply shrugged off as he scored a brace and improved his Premier League tally to 4 goals in just 3 games. Hazard showed that he can take over a game at any instant but he still needs to show that he is threat for the full 90 minutes…not just a 10-15 minute span. Schurrle when fully fit needs to start over Willian in my opinion. Willian was his usual workforce self but other than that he had no real impact on the game in my eyes. His passing was mediocre at best and he seemed to choose an ill-advised shot over passing and creating a chance for his teammate. Also, he lacks the instinctive runs that Schurrle brings to the table which will end up opening up space for the likes of Hazard and Fabregas to work their magic. Now, onto the negatives….defense, defense, defense. Our defense looked solid the first two weeks but was completely shredded this week. Why? I couldn’t tell you but I did notice that the majority of Everton’s goals and chances came off of crosses and set pieces. Marking the man and restricting chances are areas that do not trouble our back line. However, we seem lost and a little bit out of place when it comes to set pieces. Someone just seems to be out of position every time a goal is scored and it is never just one person. This may be a result of Courtois getting used to communicating with his backline but hopefully we do not see another performance like this. Courtois seemed a little shaky to me in this match. He had good instinct going up for the ball and intercepting but he seems to like to rush the ball back into play to push the attack. One instance he tried to throw the ball to Azpi but he ended up giving the ball away in the final third of his own pitch…He redeemed himself seconds later with a world class save but mistakes like that cannot happen against the likes of Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool, or UCL calibre teams. 

But at the end of day, Chelsea stand with 9 out of the possible 9 points with an astounding 11 goals scored and 4 goals against. Our offense looks like a machine that is finally gelling and raring to go and with the signing of Loic Remy our depth is also looking very good. The next few weeks should be exciting to watch and as always KTBFFH!

Chelsea 3 — Burnley 1: Reactions and Thoughts on our First Win

And with that the Premier League season is now fully underway. Monday’s match against Burnley wrapped up an action packed Matchday 1 around the Premier League and what a match it was. Before the match had even started we had our first buzz of drama surrounding the new season. Returning loanee Thibaut Courtois was to make his Chelsea debut with Petr Cech on the bench. While Mourinho insists that this decision is not set in stone and that he encourages both to fight for their place, I believe that the situation is a little bit more developed than that. If rumors are true then Courtois is on the verge of signing a new 5 year extension with the club. Now why would he do that if his place was to be on the bench for the next year or two? I think news of this extension means that Cech’s days at the club are numbered. If he really wants to stay and be our Cup goalkeeper than by all means that’d be great but I honestly believe that he deserves much more respect than that. He will always be a club legend for us; on the same level of Drogba, Lampard, and Terry. He was a staple in between our posts for the past decade and he was and still remains one of the best if not top three goalkeepers in the entire world. Unfortunately, as Cech may remember with his time with Cudicini, the future starts now with Courtois. With Courtois, we may as well have the next 10-15 years of goalkeeping settled if not more. Can’t really blame Mourinho with this choice here and honestly if Cech were given the starting spot I would have been surprised. His decision paid off as Courtois looked composed, strong, and solid in his time in between the posts. That goal by Burnley was pure class and couldn’t be helped but he did make some nice as well as smart saves when called upon. 

Now on to the match itself, from the get go, Chelsea seemed pretty energetic and created chances. The goal from Burnley was just too good though some defensive miscues led to the window of an opening that was taken swiftly. However, Burnley seemed to have awakened the beast when they took that shock lead over us. Within minutes, Chelsea’s energetic and fast paced passing created chance after chance. It was finally when Diego Costa was awarded for being at the right place at the right time that we leveled. Great positioning and running throughout the match by Costa. He ran with a purpose and made the Burnley defensive players fear him. He gave us that edge in the final third that we had really been lacking these few seasons. He’s starting to look more and more like a shrewd signing by Mourinho. What sets him apart form Torres or Ba or Eto’o for that matter was that Costa went in guns afire so to speak. He was not afraid to throw himself at the opposition and make something happen. Too often last year, our strikers faltered at the last second, whether it was lack of confidence, rhythm, or a little bit of both, that intangible factor was missing. Costa brings that and more to the table. That yellow card was a bit harsh in my opinion…did Costa deserve a penalty? I’ll be honest and say I didn’t think so. His foot was tapped by the keeper by the contact was not anywhere near penalty worthy in my opinion. But overall, great debut for Costa and hopefully Chelsea fans will be cheering his name more often as he looks to add to his Premier League goal tally as the year goes on.

 

The attacking mids were great in my opinion. Schurrle continues to show the world his growth as he shrugged off any notion of a World Cup hangover. Actually, he looked even more fitter and stronger than last year. His backtracking looks much improved and he was not afraid to take the offensive without crossing the line over to being selfish. He looked to contribute and set up his teammates much more than Oscar or Willian have usually done. Hazard was just….well Hazard. His play in the first half was breathtaking….as if the ball was glued to his boots the entire time. His distribution was fantastic, even hitting an astounding 22/22 at one point. His tailing back and defensive work would have left a positive note in Mourinho’s mind as well. Though at times he did tend to over complicate things, with time and some more maturing, its going to be scary to see what he’ll do. Oscar looked better than his end of season form from last year and he seemed motivated by the extra competition this year. Nothing special from the Brazilian but he did do what he usually does. The hustle plays and providing a good motor for the team. 

Now the man of the match: Cesc Fabregas. That flick/poke to Schurrle for the goal was top class if not out of this world. I remember watching the stream and just going ballistic after seeing that beauty of a ball. His vision and his creativity are something that we sorely missed the past couple years and it’s already mouth-watering thinking of the potential link ups we can have throughout the course of the season with Fabregas pulling the strikes. Simply sublime. His delivery of set pieces was precise and well delivered as well. He may as well turn out to be the best buy of the summer! 

Defense looked solid as usual and it was great to see that they were able to work and communicate efficiently with Courtois. Look for this defense to lead the league in clean sheets and GA this year as Mourinho’s teams always boast a strong defensive ability. 

Overall, this was a great game and very reassuring for Blues fans around the world. The buyings from this summer seem to be paying their dividends and Mourinho finally seems to have completed his squad to his liking. The first half was an attacking masterclass while the second half was an efficient closing to a great game from all. We finally look like a complete machine and I’m sure Chelsea fans all over the globe are sleeping well knowing that their team could very steamroll its way to trophies galore this year.