Coming off a busy winter transfer window, fans’ expectations were sky-high with Fulham visiting Stamford Bridge but many left with disappointment as the game ended in a goalless affair.
Enzo showed his class :
Signing for a British Record transfer fee of 105 million pounds, World Cup winning star Enzo Fernandez showed huge promise this evening. Playing as the sole “DM” in the absence of Kovaciç and Kante and of course now Jorginho, Enzo’s debut in front of the Stamford Bridge faithful would have left many impressed. Dictating play from deep in the first half, Enzo often found spaces in behind Fulham’s defence and picked out the attackers on a number of occasions with long passes and diagonal switches.
Boasting of 6 out of 7 completed long balls from 96 touches, Enzo showed glimpses of his brilliance on the ball but his work rate off it deserves even more plaudits. Ending the game with a game-high 5 tackles, 3 clearances, 10 recoveries and 1 block, Enzo put in a decent shift at the base of the Chelsea midfield. He showed enough promise tonight, I just wonder if he could be even more of an influential player should Graham Potter deploy him as the more advanced midfielder in the pivot with perhaps Denis Zakaria sitting deeper once back from Injury.
We certainly saw his shooting ability tonight with a 25-yard curler nearly landing in the back of the net.
Mount’s poor form continues :
Player of the year on two occasions back-to-back, Mason Mount hasn’t found things easy this season.
Struggling with form and sometimes bad luck, Mount has never faced as much scrutiny as he does presently. Losing the ball in decent positions, finding it hard to hold onto the ball and letting frustration get the better of him in tackles all have Mount cutting a frustrating figure at the moment.
With Fulham pressing hard and being fierce in their tackling, Mount found it hard to find any rhythm all through the 75 minutes played and only won 3 out of 8 ground duels. Considering Felix’s availability for the game against West Ham, it remains to be seen whether Mount starts against The Hammers with the academy graduate in a bad patch.
Havertz’s role remains uncertain :
Starting off the game as the main striker, Kai Havertz once again failed to impress in a frustrating outing for the German international. Presented with the best chance of the game when played through one-on-one against Leno, Havertz saw his lobbed effort strike the bar with the first half just a minute away from ending.
Kai’s influence on the game waned further down as he had the least touches of the ball by any outfield player who started with (40) recorded. With his influence diminishing, Potter brought on Fofana to help add more numbers up top whilst Kai dropped deeper into the number “10” position but still found it hard to have any impact whatsoever.
His work rate and determination also raised questions here, he won just 1 of his 6 contested ground duels won and missed two big chances. More is expected from Kai but we have been saying this for months.
Madueke shines on debut :
A London-born, Spurs academy graduate, Noni Madueke made his debut with a good 45 minutes display. Coming on for Mykhaylo Mudryk after just 45 minutes, Madueke showed some bright moments with a combination of quick feet, pace, and power.
Always wanting to cut onto his left foot, Noni was Chelsea’s best attacker on the night along with Raheem Sterling as both looked to make something happen for the Blues. Despite only playing for 45 minutes, Madueke made more impact than a couple who started ahead of him completing 2/2 dribbles while also winning 4 of his 5 attempted ground duels.
Considering Ziyech’s fluctuating form and injuries, Noni will be hoping to stay fit and start against West Ham United next week.
Man Of The Match: Enzo Fernandez; 7/10.
Next up for Chelsea is another derby next weekend against West Ham.
