A rather dull match in a mostly dominant performance from Chelsea put a start to Norwich’s downfall in the League Table. Juan goal from Mata was enough to secure victory for Chelsea at Carrow Road (something United, Arsenal and Tottenham failed to do).
Scorers :
Stats :
What We Learned :
- Juan Mata is Chelsea’s most crucial and best playmaker.
- Fernando Torres is showing consistency.
- David Luiz belongs in the midfield.
- Gary Cahill is Chelsea’s best CB.
- Rafael Benitez has proven that he is the right man for the job.
1. Juan Mata is Chelsea’s most crucial and best playmaker : Magical Mata continued to show his great form in the attacking third as he netted the only goal against Norwich City. Mata was very quiet in the early stages, but Chelsea’s awakening unsurprisingly intertwined with Mata’s late arrival. Opened the scoring with a great strike just before half-time and looked dangerous throughout. There have not been many more consistent players in the Premier League so far this season. Juan Mata has been the key man for Chelsea and Rafael Benitez in just about every match for Chelsea. Resting him as proved a mistake and playing him has proved a blessing.
2. Fernando Torres is showing consistency : It seemed to be one of those days for Torres, as crosses, clearances and passes refused to drop kindly for him, while he also had shots blocked in the area. One cannot fault his effort for most of the match, but it took about 35 minutes to realised he was actually on the pitch, but nevertheless his effort is unquestioned. For once in this Chelsea career, Fernando Torres has shown consistency. His 7 goals in 7 matches is a wonderful statistic for a man who is trying to show that he is worth the huge sum of money spent on him.
3. David Luiz belongs in the midfield : Various defensive calamities in his Chelsea career suggested he may be better suited to midfield and he has certainly taken to his new position with comfort. Against Norwich his passing was excellent and his driving runs were just as effective, but did not leave a gaping hole in defence as has happened before. David Luiz was excellent against Villa last week and continued to show his skill and calmness in the midfield role. I’m sure Gary Neville regrets his comments about Luiz being similar to a 10 year old playing on a controller. David Luiz might not be suited for the defensive role along with Terry, but he certainly is well suited for the midfield role.
4. Gary Cahill is Chelsea’s best CB : The England international and was potentially facing one of his more physical battles of the season against Grant Holt, but it ended up being far easier than he would have anticipated. Cahill won header after header, and produced several well-timed tackles. Good performance from a reliable Gary Cahill. He kept Benteke quiet last week and Holt quiet this week. He has proven a gem of a transfer after joining us in January 2012. Money well-spent as Cahill looks fit to be Chelsea’s next captain after our old firm departs (sadly).
5. Rafael Benitez has proven that he is the right man for the job : Rafael Benitez had a tough start to his Chelsea career, but it’s definitely picked up in recent week as “King Rafa” continues to win by impressive margins and dominant margins as of late. The fans, sadly, continue to taunt and mock Rafa with Di Matteo chants (which are ridiculous and childish at this point). It’s a sad site, but it’s definitely had no effect on how well Chelsea perform and play under Benitez. His elegance and great build-up play is second to none and shows that his appointment and sacking of Di Matteo wasn’t as bad as it was made out by most fans. Vamos Rafa.
Other Points :
- Cesar Azpilicueta and Victor Moses – continue to impress.
- Frank Lampard – is out-of-favour under Rafa and it looks like he’s fit to leave at contract’s end.
- Benitez rotates the “Trio” or “Mazascar” brilliantly.
Check out Andre Saad’s video review of the game ! –
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N11nmWzTckI]
