On Jose Mourinho’s 100th game in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea lost 2-1 against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge, the same stadium in which Chelsea were unbeaten last season.
We take a look at four findings from the game.
Ivanovic the liability.
Last season Branislav Ivanovic was probably the best right-back in the Premier League, this season he’s started the season like he’s playing for a non-league side. The quality is lacking and his defensive frailties are becoming more and more noticeable. Time and time again he was beaten by his man today, backing off too much, giving them 4 to 5 yards every time.
Both goals came from crosses delivered from his side and it’s no surprise, he’s been terrible. Jose Mourinho needs to do something about this lackluster defending as soon as possible. To add to the disappointment, he keeps coming out after matches saying how well they performed. No Jose, Chelsea have been abysmal.
Kenedy And Loftus-Cheek show promise.
Possibly sending a message to the board, probably going gung-ho. Mourinho took off two of his most trusted players (Azpilicueta and Matic) and replaced them with Kenedy and Loftus-Cheek. I for one was moaning as I didn’t believe they’d improve the team, however, I was proven wrong as they both looked really impressive during the time they received and Chelsea genuinely looked a better side.
Yes, there were holes at the back, but that’s down to playing 3 at the back and throwing the kitchen sink at Crystal Palace. Aside from that, The Blues became more direct and played faster, which in turn looked more threatening and with every attack they looked like scoring.
Complacent and slow.
Watching Chelsea this season has become really hard to endure, the slow tempo allows the opposition to set up defensively every time they go forward. It’s almost as if they play brilliantly until they get into the final third, then it is keep ball, with no real objective. 9 out of 10 attacking phases involve all 4 attacking players interacting in the same corner of the pitch, with no width or options in the centre or the other flank.
The extreme fluidity of Chelsea’s play seems to be their downfall, as compared with Man City, only Silva roams, Navas holds with and so does Sterling. Chelsea though, has Willian, Hazard and Pedro all roaming about, ending up in each others way, trying to pass their way through somewhat a maze as the space that would be there is no longer.
Falcao looking lively.
So Chelsea fans will be massively disappointed after today’s result, I wouldn’t blame them as I’m one of them disappointed fans. Falcao came on and was utilised upfront with Diego Costa, a former strike partner, someone he’s used to. He looked lively and became Chelsea’s most threatening player during his time on the pitch, providing a beautiful diving header to score an equaliser for The Blues.
Although the scoreline did end up 2-1 to the away team, Falcao looks sharp, ended his goal drought and could turn out to be a useful player during the season.
