A fifth win out of six games for Potter, surprisingly a labouring Villa side offered the toughest test of the new Chelsea manager’s reign so far, threatening to score for large parts of the game were it not for some excellent saves from Chelsea’s revitalised Kepa. Here is the post-match 5, where I will cover a couple of player performances, the manager and what, if any, changes should be considered for the next game ahead.
Kepa continues to stake claim as Chelsea’s no.1
Kepa has come a long way from that dismal year under Lampard, where he finished the season as second choice to Willy Caballero and underperformed in terms of saving shots on goal (he had a PSxG +/- of 9.5, meaning he conceded at least 9 goals more than expected). The performance at Villa Park was arguably his greatest in a Chelsea shirt, a triple save followed by a world-class stop from a Danny Ings header that had shades of Cech vs. Javier Hernandez in the 2013 FA cup quarter final.
He has really taken the opportunity to step up under the new manager, having come in due to Mendy’s injury, and looks keen to remain as first choice under Potter. He already looks far more commanding, sharper and more confident than in previous years, something he himself has said really helps in providing a platform for greater performances.
With 3 clean sheets in 3 Premier League games, coupled with preventing more goals than any other keeper (3.2, the next closest being Alisson with 2.7), he deserves to continue his fine form as Chelsea number 1. But as with Rudiger under Tuchel, it will likely take a few more months of world class performances to really win the backing of all Chelsea fans to remain first choice and wipe clean those memories of the 2019/20 season. It appears Edouard Mendy has a lot of work to do to wrestle back his position following some poor performances in 2022.
The ‘Rubentada’ continues, and we are loving every second of it
Now I could have written a few paragraphs about the ever-present Mason Mount, following an impressive display where he finally got off the mark in the Premier League. However, it is Ruben Loftus-Cheek who has impressed me the most the season. You would often see a level of doubt amongst the Chelsea fan base when Ruben lined up as a double 6 under Tuchel, due to him enjoying carrying the ball up the pitch and often being caught out of position defensively in transition. This season he appears to be every Chelsea fan’s first name down on the team sheet in midfield.
The 2018/19 season under Sarri is always brought up as a talking point when it comes to RLC. A dominant number 8, he excelled in his link up with Eden Hazard, contributing to 15 goals in 35 games across the Premier League & Europa League. But this year he is a different player, more disciplined in his defensive duties with less of an emphasis in his contribution in the final third. He is using his dominant frame to get in-between opposition players and the ball, winning duels with his strength and continuously playing Chelsea out of trouble with his nimble footwork by dribbling out of a press or winning cheap fouls.
If there is any Chelsea player that deserves an extended run in the first 11 it is Ruben Loftus-Cheek. He is the perfect example of a Cobham graduate who has continued to fight for a real role in this team, having been happy being a squad player under Tuchel, operating in 3-4 different positions just because he wanted to be on the pitch in a Chelsea shirt. He now appears to be a genuine number 6 option for Potter going forward and it will be interesting, with Southgate having watched on at Villa Park, whether he gets his deserved spot in that England squad for the 2022 World Cup.
Reece James injury a big blow during the hectic pre-World Cup schedule
With Trent Alexander Arnold’s poor form continuing and Joao Cancelo’s mistake against Liverpool highlighting a real weakness in his defensive reading of the game, it is with good reason that Chelsea fans consistently push Reece James as the best all round right back in the league. Brute strength, gifted athleticism, quality striker of the ball, impressive passer, defensively dominant and equally imposing going forward, his only weakness seems to be the big injuries he appears to pick up each season. Every Chelsea fan’s worst fears were confirmed last Friday when news broke that Reece James could be out for up to 8 weeks, missing what is a hectic schedule where Chelsea play 8 games in 24 days.
He was a big miss on Sunday, where Sterling was deployed in Potter’s inverse ‘Trossard role’ he enjoyed using as manager at Brighton & Hove Albion. This clearly did not work as Chelsea were overrun in the first half, Trevoh Chalobah dealing fairly well in his defensive duties to try and manage Ollie Watkins who was a handful in the first half. Ashley Young was able to enjoy some freedom of getting forward and attacking the less defensively astute Sterling, with Potter even changing mid-first half to get RLC in that RWB role to support defensively. Bringing on Azpilicueta helped numb the pain of no Reece James down the right slightly, however, this is going to be one area over the coming weeks that Potter will really need to find solutions for to manage in James’ absence. Let’s hope for a positive recovery period and no stupid decisions from the FA to try and rush him back into the England set up for the World Cup.
Tactical tricks aplenty up tinkering Potter’s sleeves.
There is nothing more frustrating as a fan than watching your team’s initial game plan go wrong, but have your manager wait until either the 60th minute or until you concede to try change things about. Chelsea fans will shudder at the memories of the Barkley to Kovacic, Kovacic to Barkley substitutions on a weekly basis, a team struggling to breakdown deep blocks unless a piece of Eden Hazard brilliance saved the day and be grateful that Potter does not hang about when he sees his set up is not working.
In the first half against Villa, Potter moved Sterling from ‘RWB’ to RW, Mount back into CM and RLC out wide to deal with the threat Villa were posing down their left flank. He dropped the defensive line further back to counter the long balls into Ollie Watkins who was a handful for a large part of the game. He subbed the rash Cucurella for a more dominant penalty box defender in Koulibaly to deal with the number of crosses coming in and took off the invisible Kai Havertz for Azpilicueta to fill in as a more natural wing back.
Alongside Kepa’s brilliance and Mount’s well taken goals, Potter being proactive in making these tactical changes early were one of the reasons Chelsea walked away with three points on Sunday. We have seen a real positive impact from Potter so far in the way he sets up and manages games, which will be all the more important with matches coming thick and fast in the build-up to the World Cup. Not all games are going to be pretty wins like Wolves or the home game vs Milan and we should expect more testing fixtures in the weeks ahead, but it looks like Chelsea have got a manager who relishes the tactical challenge these games bring.
What I want to see next game
Chelsea’s next game is against Brentford away, a fixture that exactly a year to the day of Kepa’s heroics at Villa Park, saw Mendy singlehandedly secure an important 3 points for Chelsea with some outrageous saves to keep it 1-0. A tough place to visit, Chelsea will have their work cut out for them with the dynamic duo of Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbuemo forming a deadly partnership so far this season.
When it comes to rotation, I think it is important that Chelsea factor in the physical aspect of this Brentford side. They are a team who tend to excel from set pieces, using their physicality to win aerial duels or latch on to second balls and make it a really tough game for any away side. With Thiago Silva unfortunately a doubt, and more likely to be rested for the big game against Manchester United next Saturday, Koulibaly will have an important role to play in trying to manage Ivan Toney. I have some slight reservations with playing Cucurella at LCB against this Brentford side following some wobbly defensive performances, but he is talented enough to not let those affect his overall ability and I would expect him to step up a notch if he gets the nod again.
In attack, I think it is finally time for Armando Broja to get his first start in a Chelsea shirt. Of our number 9 options, he offers the most in intensity, physicality and his height could be useful in defending set pieces. Havertz may start again due to the same reasons, however, he will have to offer a lot more than the rare flashes of brilliance if he wants to remain a starter in this Chelsea side. Looking ahead, the calmness, physicality, and defensive know-how of the missing defensive trio of Thiago Silva, Reece James and Wesley Fofana are a huge blow for a Chelsea side sneakily gaining momentum in the Premier League.
