Heading back to Stamford Bridge for the game against Leeds on Saturday, I was really not sure what to expect, but the mood with myself and my fellow fans I sit next to were all pretty pessimistic about where a goal was even going to be coming from.
From the line up it, it looked like the new ‘Tinkerman’, Potter, had decided to switch up the formation and go back to wingbacks. This was a touch galling, given he chose not to do this for the rare games when Chilwell and James have been fit, but at least one of them was starting so that was half of the answer that have served so well for Chelsea in recent times. Worryingly though, there was no sign of James even on the bench.
But will this reversion back to wingbacks and having Chilwell more free in more advanced positions seemed to provide more options for out balls. The energy in the team in the first half right from the off was far more like what is expected of Chelsea, and the higher tempo served them well, with lots of sustained pressure with and without the ball.
What was evident though was Loftus-Cheek getting in lots of space down the right as the stand in for James in the wingback right slot, but no-one was passing to him. Sadly when the ball did come to him, a few errors crept in. It seems the team did not trust him with the ball. Or something else was going on that was not evident to us as fans.
Many chances came and went and there was the sense around me that the goal down our end of the ground was cursed, like it has been in games recently, especially when Joao Felix crashed a shot off the crossbar. Then Leeds started to get a small foothold into the game, but I would say that is was great to see the back three of Fofana, Koulibaly and Badiashile doing well in the absence of talisman Silva. The key for me was seeing a properly fit Fofana back and providing that speedy cover in defence. This is what any team needs to get them out of jail when things go a little wrong at the back. They were not perfect in their defensive duties, but solid progress was being shown. Koudibaly was one of many Chelsea players that were on the end of a demolishing rant on Sky’s Soccer Social that same morning, but he had one of his better games and I could see his confidence coming back.
When Fofana's headed goal went in early in the second half, you could feel the relief pour out all across Stamford Bridge. But then nerves started creeping back in with the fans as Potter embarked on a litany of defensive substitutions. This started as early as the 68th minute when he replaced two forwards with two midfielders, and of the forwards, Havertz would not have been the one I would have kept on out of the 3. This destroyed the energy and fluidity in the Chelsea team, much to the dismay of the fans, who have rarely seen that tempo and just wanted Chelsea to kick on. It looked like Potter knew a loss could be fatal for him, and so was desperately clinging onto the 1-0. The changes kept coming, and the 3 others that came on were all so young…is that really what you need when you are trying to dig in.
Luckily Chelsea hung on, the sense of relief again from the stadium was palpable at the final whistle. But I was questioning the strategy deployed in the second half, given the hugely positive uptick in Chelsea’s approach vs recent times in the first half.
Trundling off again to Stamford Bridge last night I was filled with more positivity than recent walks to the ground. Dortmund are the form team in Germany, and with Bellingham plus the need for two goals from Chelsea without reply, my realistic head rather than dreamer heart was in play and still a bit subdued.
That all changed getting into the ground, which was buzzing with energy and the spectacle of a Champions League evening was in full swing. Although that was a stark reminder of what would be missing from Stamford bridge next season unless the improbable of either 4th place in the Premiership or winning the Champions League can be pulled off.
Enthusiasm increased seeing that James was back, straight into the starting line-up, and the wingback system that worked well against Leeds was retained. Stability was the name of the game for once which also was good news, with only two changes. James coming back in was one.
Now the other had us all a bit worried, and highlights the issue I had raised when Potter needed to pick who to leave out of the Champions League squad due to registration number restrictions. I called leaving out Badiashile would not be a good move, especially if we did revert back to a wingback system. The result, Cucurella was back in the team…. The ‘upside’ to the situation was that he was the left side of the back 3, so not expected to go forward and infuriate us all with his negative forward play.
The Dortmund fans brought all the noise and energy that we have come to expect from European visitors, and at kick off, the Dortmund goal was not very visible from all the yellow flares the Dortmund had lit in the build up to the game. But kick off was not delayed due to it and Chelsea got off to a frantic pace.
Dortmund surprisingly looked very nervous and were making mistakes constantly and Chelsea kept turning the screw. We saw glimpses of this in the Leeds first half, but this was Chelsea of old! Progressive runs, quick ball and probing passes were giving Dortmund all sorts of problems. It was difficult to tell if they had come with the game plan to sit and defend the 1-0 advantage from the first leg (understandable given Chelsea’s woeful goal scoring record of late) or they were just being stifled and in shock from this hugely energetic and fluid Chelsea onslaught.
The wingback system has been missed, and so have the combo of a fit Chilwell and James. This was being used to maximum effect, and if it was not for a series of somewhat poor offside situations (which occurred to Sterling a number of times over the night frustratingly), Chelsea, like at Leeds, should have been up a few goals in the first half an hour.
But unlike the Leeds game, calm and elation within the fans in equal measure came earlier than the Leeds came with Sterling’s goal just before half time. It still was a touch symptomatic of how the forwards are still not firing on all cylinders in that Sterling’s initial effort from the cross was an actual air shot, but luckily it hit is back leg which fortuitously ended up being the perfect touch to steady the ball for a second lash at the ball, which ended in the back of the net.
What was very pleasing as well from the fist half performance was the solidity of the back three, including that of Cucurella. They were winning headers, no nonsense clearing of the ball especially from Koulibaly, and Fofana’s calmness with his speed on the cover was all working as you would hope. A sense of authority from the back 3 was growing, and given this was without Silva and two of the 3 being very young, which was very encouraging.
The second half was pleasingly much more of the same. I was expecting a Dortmund ‘all hands to the pump’ lift in tempo and attacking intent, but the errors in their game were still there, although they were upping their possession from the first half and spending more time in the Chelsea third. But throughout the second half, I can’t remember a single shot with any force on target at the Chelsea goal.
The back 3 were handling anything thrown at them, with the exception in the game when there was pinball in the Chelsea box, the ball fell to Bellingham and he inexplicably fired it wide when it was far easier just to side foot or toe poke it into the back of the net.
Another positive light from the game was when Gallagher came on for Joao Felix in the 67th minute. My friend and I had a small bet on how long it would take Gallagher to get booked, but he delivered to the potential we know he has. All those tackles he was clipping legs and getting yellow carded for in prior game, although difference was marginal, yesterday he was timing it right with more sharpness and nicking the ball. He also scored, just to be chalked off from another unnecessary Sterling offside in the build-up. The skilful, tenacious, bags full of energy box-to-box midfielder seems back. This is what Palace had when Gallagher was on loan there, and Palace fans still rave about.
Havertz had shown some real fight and energy over the night, sometimes a little too much giving away two fouls in about 30 seconds, but that fight was good to see. The final product is still missing with him, demonstrated by the missed first penalty, and lucky for him the penalty needed to be retaken. But it took bottle for him to take it again, use the same stuttered run up and hit the exact same shot to score in the bottom right corner.
From this point the Chelsea fans really started to belief that it was their night, as Dortmund were really not creating any clear cut chances and the defence looked solid.
But again, the substitutions need a little analysis, and what Potter’s strategy was. The first was Gallagher coming on and I get that to get even more control of midfield and Gallagher can help on the break given it had been 10 mins from the second goal. But the second was just bizarre. Captain Kovacic was the engine room breaking up all the play in midfield, winning headers and generally being a serious thorn in the side of Dortmund. So why take him off with 7 mins of regulation time left with two non-tacklers coming in on Pulisic and Loftus-Cheek (see the Leeds game above)? It seems he realised the error of his decision and within 4 minutes Zakaria was put on to enforce the midfield.
As part of the substitutions. Fernandez was taken off and I must say he was the one player that I would point at to say he has a below par game. Given how fluid Chelsea were, there really was not the portfolio of long raking passes that we know he can produce. It was more all short, safe and sideways, which did bring back painful memories of Jorginho in the team. Given the dominance of Chelsea in the game, this was a touch worrying.
But despite all of this, the back held strong without event and the stadium erupted on the final whistle. I was shocked that the form team in the Bundesliga (8 wins on the bounce and in 2nd place) provided no challenge to a Chelsea team hugely struggling in the Premiership and recently beaten by bottom of the league (at the time) Southampton at Stamford Bridge only recently. Is this just another statement of how much ahead the standard of the Premier League is over the other European leagues?
Liverpool seem cooked in their fixture after the 5-2 drubbing by Real Madrid in the first leg, but can their demolishing of Man United 7-0 in their last game give them that sense of glory comebacks in Europe of yesteryear and make it to quarter finals?
We would hope Man City can finish off Leipzig at home after their 1-1 first leg, and Spurs at home overturning their 1-0 deficit to AC Milan from the away first leg.
But Potter has bought himself some favour now with the Chelsea fans, but it is fragile. The fans now expect that same high octane football seen last night in the Premiership week in week out, and a loss away to struggling Leicester this weekend, and the fans will likely be out for blood again.
Let’s chat!
How have the last two games impacted your opinion on Potter and him keeping the Chelsea job?
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