Newly crowned world champions Chelsea, returned to premier league action at the weekend as they took on London rivals Crystal Palace.The game was played at a windy Selhurst Park and the difficult conditions did seem to take its toll on both teams.The first half was cagey but delivered goal scoring opportunities for both sides with Zaha missing Palace’s best chance while Rudiger tested Guaita with a pile-driver from distance.The second half was a much disrupted affair as both sides began to show signs of sloppiness in possession. As the game wore on, it looked like another frustrating day for the blues as chances were few and far between.The drab game pushed Tuchel’s hands and he was forced to make game-changing substitutions which led to a Chelsea goal being ruled for offside after Lukaku was found to have moved a little to early before he was brilliantly found by substitute, Mateo Kovaciç. On the 89th minute mark, with Alonso afforded time and space to pick a cross, he brilliantly floated the ball to the back post where it found Chelsea’s most dangerous attacker at the moment; Hakim Ziyech.The former Ajax man continued his fine form by slotting the ball through the goalkeeper’s legs to give Chelsea a much needed 3 points.
Here are the 5 lessons we learned from the action that took place over the weekend:
Rudiger remains a key cog in the side
Over the course of the one year spent so far as Chelsea’s manager, Thomas Tuchel hasn’t had a more reliable soldier to call upon than German defender, Antonïo Rüdiger.The former Roma defender has taken his game to a whole new level since his compatriot took over the reins at Stamford Bridge.Against Palace, the defender with Sierra-leonean roots once again proved how important he his to this otherwise fragile Chelsea side. His bite, intensity, aggression and leadership skills are only matched by fellow defenders, Thiago Silva and Cesar Azpilicueta. Considering that the other defenders mentioned alongside Rudiger are both in the twilight of their career, the agreement on a contract extension of Rudiger’s services has become paramount to the Chelsea hierarchy.Tony must stay!
Lukaku is starving but not striving
Romelu Bolingoli Lukaku envisaged setting records at Stamford Bridge upon his return to the club as the club’s most expensive transfer ever but I am sure he didn’t see himself setting records as poor as he did on Saturday against the Eagles, Crystal Palace.The big number 9 set a new record for the least number of touches (7) a player who played the entire duration of a match ever recorded since opta stats came into existence in 2004.Truth be told, Lukaku barely gets fed the ball at the right time and that’s a mixture of the players surrounding him, his positioning and also the pattern adopted by the coach.Against Palace, Lukaku made several runs and calls for the ball but was left disappointed as the ball either went backwards to the defenders or the player in possession played a wrong pass.On multiple occasions, Romelu also made the wrong runs and therefore couldn’t be located as he already drifted into offside positions and thereby making the players sought for other options. In some quarters, fingers have been pointed to the system being adopted by the coach considering Lukaku isn’t the only striker to suffer droughts in front of goal since Tuchel became head coach. The team have a tendency of retaining possession way longer than needed and thereby making it impossible for the striker to receive the ball when in a big of space and has time. Either of the aforementioned being the main problem, one remains true;Big Rom is starving!
Kovaciç is highly underrated
Diminutive Croat, Mateo Kovaciç has always been regarded as a good prospect right from his days as a player of Inter Milan which saw Madrid take the gamble in taking him over to Spain where he won numerous titles including the Champions League 3 times. The then youth prodigy has turned prospect into reality and he has come into his own in the past two seasons with stellar performances on the very highest of stages. Kovaciç this season has remained an integral player and showed how irreplaceable he his fast becoming after he emerged as the game- changer against Palace. His drive with ball reminds one of Eden Harzard and that ability to dribble out of tight spaces often serves him well and helps create spaces when the midfield is congested. Kovaciç’s connection with Romelu Lukaku is another reason to consider him undroppable as he seems a key to unlocking the Belgian’s strengths. Kovaciç’s brilliant form hasn’t gone unnoticed and he was recently lauded by compatriot and former Ballon d’or winner Luka Modric. Kovaciç, our own version of Luka Modric.
Tuchel leaves it late again
Master tactician, Thomas Tuchel once again showed his ability to read a game and implement great in-game tactical changes that more often than not solves the problem for his side.That was once again the case on Saturday as Tuchel’s immense tactical nous was out to the test by Arsenal legend, Patrick Viera. The Crystal Palace coach of Senegalese decent, matched up brilliantly in a fierce tactical battle with Tuchel and the possession of better players helped Tuchel outwit the Frenchman.Tuchel’s decision to leave it late has become worrisome in recent weeks and with crucial matches coming up in the next few weeks, his decision making has to be sharper and earlier in the matches in order to ensure his team does not become victims of his own tactics. “The earlier, the better”!
Ziyech is red hot
The wizard of Amsterdam as he was fondly called during his time in Netherlands with Ajax seems to be just a perfect name for a player of Ziyech’s kind.His wonder of a left foot keeps churning out goodies and one wonders where this present form has been all this while.Since joining Chelsea, Ziyech scored for the third consecutive premier league game and he doesn’t seem to be slowing down any moment from now. The decision to revert to a back four has favored Ziyech greatly as he is back to playing in his favored position on the right side of attack and this might just be the beginning of Ziyech’s redemption.The wizard has got his magic wand back!
Man of the match: Ziyech 9/10
