The much anticipated return of Juan Mata and the starting lineup we had , we looked too promising to not to lose the match. The lineup was a good mixture of youth and experience.
With the normal formation of 4-2-3-1 and the attack being led by the latest addition to the squad, Samuel Eto’o ; we were expected to win. But, in the end we ended up on losing by one goal. This was the part of the game. But what were the big issues that came out of the match?
Here are they,
1) David Luiz
The Brazilian made a comeback to the team and was chosen ahead of Gary Cahill. He looked solid in the initial minutes but as the game progressed, Luiz started looking too desperate to come forward. He wasn’t marking the opponent properly and in the end it costed us a goal in the 45th minute. NO, I am not questioning Luiz’s capabilities nor his attitude in the game. All I am saying is, David was playing as a CB and not a CDM like he did in the previous season.
In the 2nd half, David’s desperateness to come forward increased and he went on passing long balls out of which very few reached where they were supposed to be. Look at John Terry, both play in the same position but Luiz advances too much. Agreed to the fact that David adds another dimension to the game, but its not good when it comes at the cost of his main position ; CB.
Luiz and Jose both need to work on Luiz’s marking and the limitations to which Luiz should advance with the ball.
2) Missed Chances
The number of shots we had were as high as 22 but only 6 were on target. The missed chance by Andre Schurrle in the first half, was too simple to be missed. All he did was overhit it. The header by Eto’o, in the first half went over the bar. The finishing was poor. Some figures to prove it-
There were a total 11 shots in the 1st half. Just one on target by Ramires, 2 blocked and the rest OFF Target. With such kind of figures, no team can win.
Eto’o: 6 shots
Ramires and Schurrle: 3 shots
The team needs to work on the finishing. Though this is the beginning of the season and the new players like Eto’o yet to set to the tone, this shall improve with time.
3) Juan Mata
The fans were overjoyed by seeing Juan Mata in the starting XI. He was the best player of the club in the past season. Mata’s 1-2s with hazard certainly looked on cards.
But that didn’t happen. Yes, Juan looked rusted with the early passes he made and was clearly short of confidence. But Mata was decent in the first half. In fact, he was pretty good if we look from point of view of the amount of pressure he had on him after not being selected since the arrival of ‘The Special One’ . He dribbled the ball 3 times out of the total 9 that Chelsea did, passing was good and was the best CFC player in the first half after Mikel.
Then came in a double substitution. In the 57th minute, Oscar was brought in for Mata and Lampard for Schurrle. From then, the attack didnt look that threatening as it looked before the substitution. Mata would have played better than Oscar did . In fact, at times, Oscar was invisible. He had one shot which was blocked.
In short, Mata would have been better on the pitch rather than subbed out. Jose Mourinho seems to have lost faith in the Spaniard. Though he claims Mata to be a very important player and someone he trusts, but the story is different.
First of all, Mata was in the XI because Oscar went on International duty while Mata didn’t. In the coming days, we might see Mata being used as a sub or when Oscar needed to be rested.
4) Ashley Cole was poor: Do we have cover?
Cole didn’t have a great game. Infact he was pretty awful today. Not the best left back in the league anymore? He had a nightmare today to put it nicely. Surely Bertrand needs to be tested since this is the position we are getting exposed quite badly. Today wasn’t a good day at the office, certainly not one worth remembering. Chelsea need to give Ryan a chance just to take the air of invincibility away from Cole.
Some positives:
1) Created a high number of chances relative to the possession.
2 ) We were aggressive.
3) Had a large quantity of possession in the opponent’s half.
4) Had a high shot frequency when in possession.
Do let me know what you guys think about Chelsea’s performance against Everton. KTBFFH!
-Tanveer