Chelsea complete their dealings in Switzerland with an emphatic 1-2 win over Swiss side, FC Basel . The win gives Chelsea the upper-hand when they host Basel at Stamford Bridge a week later.
Scorers :
Stats :
What We Learned :
1. Rafa’s future rotation plans should be based on this lineup
2. Chelsea need to play with a consistent high tempo to their game
3. David Luiz and his romance with the midfield
4. Torres faltering again
1. Rafa’s future rotation plans should be based on this lineup
Chelsea were dominant, despite Basel hogging the ball a lot more than the Blues. There was a depth of class between both the teams and it was clearly seen. Basel flew into unnecessary tackles but were broken down by a disciplined Chelsea side. Benitez put out a side that could rest important players and also play with an attacking initiative against a side that has been superb at home. Both Mata and Oscar have been well rested for our next Premier League action as we try to cement a top 4 spot. JT was given a go to revive his form back, and Cole was reintroduced. Chelsea next host Swansea City, who knocked us out of the Carling Cup. A well rested side that took in the beauty of Swiss nature could play well against the Welsh team.
2. Chelsea need to play with a consistent high tempo to their game
The stats are very contrasting. If you would look at the statistics regarding to passing, you can see Basel dominating. 387/482 compared to Chelsea’s 220/292 . Moreover they completed 5 % passes more than Chelsea, while dominating possession with 61.2 %. They had more than 50 passes compared to Chelsea in their attacking third. Embarrassing for a side that holds the status of European champions. However Basel always dominate at home, no matter who the opposition is.
When we come to shots, we see what the real deal is. Chelsea had twice more shots on target and 3 more than Basel off target. This hints to Chelsea playing a very lazy game, which could attribute to either fatigue, or being instructed to play like this so that they could conserve their energy. Chelsea just need to be a bit clinical. The fact that were just 0-1 up, gave Basel confidence to grab a goal back. Despite the harsh penalty, Chelsea could have easily increased their tally to at-least 4-5 goals. Chelsea rushed in the last 5 minutes of the game and got their equalizer with a Luiz free-kick. THIS is the tempo they should have played in for the entire duration of 90 minutes, and Chelsea would have wrapped up this tie in Switzerland.
3. David Luiz and his romance with the midfield
David Luiz was introduced back into midfield, and he made an immense statement. The only negatives I found was that he was sometimes out of position, forcing Lampard and Ramires to cover for him. However he was a rock throughout the game. He put himself in-front of the ball and was very aggressive. The entire Basel team were really harsh, while the skill-full Chelsea attack did not like to dive into challenges. Luiz made up for this in his aggression There was a time when Basel pressed very high on every Chelsea player except Luiz, cause they know they’re going to be bullied off the ball by the Brazillian.
He had 5/6 successful passes in the attacking third which is quite impressive for a defensive midfielder. He also played a lot of forward balls and completed most of his short passes. This game was perfect to test Luiz in a midfield role, and Benitez did not disappoint. We could see a defender being brought in during the transfer window as Luiz transforms himself as a midfielder. There was this aesthetic appeal of him playing in a midfield role that Chelsea fans have fallen in love with and the Brazilian should be encouraged for a fine performance .
4. Torres faltering again
Torres had the Europa League under his feet if recent form was anything to go by. However, in Switzerland his work-rate was immense, however he failed to put anything on paper. He was out of luck once again, as the ball hit the woodwork in what was his best chance. Torres looks really positive when it comes to presenting himself in-front of the media, but the Spaniard has to back it up with letting his presence known on the pitch.
He had 5 attempts, out of which one hit the target and one hit the woodwork. His combination play with Hazard who showed-off in his new role behind the striker was quite good, but we have seen a better understanding between Mata and Torres. Considering that Demba Ba will not be playing in the Europa League, our chances of adding this to our list of silverware, deeply depends on Torres giving his best.
Other Points :
1. Ashley Cole gave in a world-class performance
2. Moses had a brilliant night
3rd point: the refree was so harsh to award such a soft penalty.
chelsea played a 4-5-1 system. It looked 4-3-3 during periods of the game though. When they attacked in the first ten minutes before the goal,Ramires and Lampard had freedom to push higher and neither had to stay slightly deeper with Luiz like in the 4-2-3-1. You could see it again after Basel scored the penalty when Chelsea pressed higher up again to try and get a second goal. Benitez knows Luiz is a far better mobile (movement and pace) screen than Mikel is so he gave the older and younger box to box duo licence to push forward.
It was a bore to see Chelsea sit back and play on the counter after the first goal but it’s understandable due to the fixture congestion. Torres wasn’t too bad and I’m guessing people are mainly critising about the shot which bounced back off the bar and the rebound from a shot. I find these arguements absurb. Players who were genuinely poor was Moses and Hazard. Chelsea played most of the game looking to counter so I don’t see why they had to slow the game down when the striker is making runs just ahead of them. They lost the ball cheaply and after the 60th minute,I was screaming at the television for them to be removed. If it’s part of the game plan to slow the game down with a lack of players in the opposition’s half,then it doesn’t make sense. If you sit back,you counter properly because you’ll surrender possession anyway unless the counter attack is productive.
i think david luiz is better at midfeild than defence so chelsea need to buy another defender and push luiz to midfeild
If David Luiz continues to perform like this in midfield, Mikel will be in big trouble. That’s because there’s Ramires(pace), Lampard(experience) and Romeu(incredible but injured). We’ll see how things go in the pivot area.
It not a matter of buying players @CB it a matter of introducing Bruma or shifting Mikel back to the defence, he can do better there too
RAFA CHANGES ARE POOR,ND IT ALWAYS PUTS PRESURE ON US.MOSES SHOILD HV GONE OFF INSTEAD OF HAZARD IN ORDER TO MOUNT PRESURE ON THEM FOR MORE GOAL,MATA-HAZARD COMBINATION IS GUD.SOMEBODY TELL HIM,SAME THIN HAPPENED IN THE LPOOOL GAME
What Mikel offer the pivot that Liuz and Ramires have not given.He’s a waste of space in Chelsea.Move him on.
What Mikel offer in the pivot that Liuz and Ramires have not given.He’s a waste of space in Chelsea.Move him on.
David Luiz is not totally comfortable in the midfield. Sometimes I feel he escapes silly red cards.