The Slightly Biased Chelsea
Match Review
Chelsea vs Southampton I FA Cup I 22/4/2018
Match Overview
It was an absolutely splendid game at the Wembley stadium
with as much scares as joy for the Chelsea fans. Some of the Chelsea players kicked
into extra gear and seemed more energetic and reactive than their previous few
matches, in particular Ngolo Kante, Willian and Eden Hazard.
The first half ended with Chelsea feeling like kicking
themselves in the foot after a series of good chances miss narrowly. Hazard
took his chance from outside the penalty box and his shot flew just inches
above the post with Southampton keeper McCarthy nowhere near the ball. Hazard’s
acute pass a few minutes later saw Willian hitting another long range shot
which hits the post. It almost seems like despite the huge dominance, Chelsea
may be hit with a sucker punch and then fail to recover, like many of their
previous matches.
Half Time: 0-0
Then came the second half and the Blues came out
all-blazing. In truth, the game tempo mellowed at the start of the second half,
but within a minute Olivier Giroud, the Big Friendly Giant from Arsenal, brought
the Chelsea half of Wembley up in cheers with a brilliant goal courtesy of a
goal line scramble. Giroud have always been a fantastic target man, and that
particular characteristic is the main reason why he was bought by Chelsea. His
hold up play caused the chaos in the Southampton box which offered him the
sliver of a shot at goal which he duly quickly nudges in. After the goal,
Chelsea seemed to drop off a little. Southampton did threaten on the few times
they got the ball, powered by their fans urging them on.
1-0 Olivier
Giroud 46’
In fact, Southampton did come close several times for the
equaliser. At one point, an awesome Charlie Austin one-touch pass sets Shane
Long on a one-on-one with Caballero but Long’s heavy touch just skews the ball
over for a goalkick. In another terrible moment, Caballero almost did a howler
by failing to properly grab onto a simple cross. The ball slipped from his arms
and was almost bundled into the net via Austin’s back. It may actually have crossed
the line, but Caballero scrambled for the ball and quickly pushed it away.
2-0 Alvaro Morata
82’
Either way, both sides were threatening on the break. That
is, until the hitman from Real Madrid is introduced. In two minutes, Alvaro
Morata connected from a delicious pass from deep from Cesar Azpilicueta to head
home a crucial goal to create a comfortable 2-0 cushion. It has been quite some
time since we saw the Dave-Morata combo and hopefully this will mark another
volley of such goals!
After the goal, it was just a matter of maintaining the
scoreline. Chelsea have done the job, which is expected of them (come on, its
Southampton), and now we will face Manchester United in the Finals (Let’s be
honest, we would much better face them than Spurs). This season can, after all,
be salvaged.
Match Highlight
Chelsea played with a 3-4-3. Gary Cahill is partnered by the
Hustler Rudiger and Mr Dependable Cesar Azpilicueta in defence. In Midfield, we
have Kante and Fabregas. At Wingback we have Emerson and Victor Moses while our
attack is spearheaded by Giroud with Hazard and Willian providing the runs behind him.
It is quite a standard Conte team shape since the start of
the season and with the new addition, Olivier Giroud, the team looked more
solid and impressive going forward. Giroud is able to hold the ball up well as
Willian and Hazard are allowed to run off him. That caused a lot of problem to
the Southampton defence and Yoshida must have had nightmares about today. Time
and time again, Hazard and Willian ghosts in through the defence into dangerous
positions.
The Chelsea defence, however, does not seem solid. It doesn’t
feel right to blame the individual players, but there is just a lack of steel
in the middle (like an Umtiti or even a MacGuire) to allay all the fears of a
sucker punch. Either way, they still managed to hold on, thus kudos to them.
When Willian was hauled off, the team looks really bereft of
attacking power until Pedro’s introduction. I think Bakayoko must really get
his head into the game now and step up to fill those attacking shoes I know he
is capable of. The transition period between the two substitutions was really
scary and Chelsea looked fragile.
Southampton
Southampton did not put up much of a fight and to be honest,
man to man, their players are not a match to Chelsea’s quality. They did,
however, almost took their chances when they had them. Special mention should
go to Charlie Austin whom I think is their standout player among teammates who
deserves to play in the Championship. And our oldboy Ryan Bertrand. What a
player he has turned out to be! He would give our wingbacks a run for their
starting position!
In the end, the score is justifiably so with us having a
significantly higher possession (57%) and almost twice more shots than them.
Expect Tottenham to reverse these stats!
Man Of The Match
I think for this match, Eden Hazard deserves the Man-of-the-Match.
In the first half he was absolutely God-like going forward. On a counter
attack, much like Willian, he would dribble with the ball through the defence
at speed and when the opportunity occurs, take a chance with a shot.
However, what is more amazing to watch is Hazard’s world
class dribbling around the defence as he takes on player after player and
making them look like amateurs. Willian also at times do that during the match,
but Hazard was dribbling the opponent so much, I almost felt sorry for the
Southampton midfield and defence. He is an absolutely stickler with his
outlandish tricks. Don’t get me wrong, other players can also do the tricks he
does. But Hazard does the tricks SUCCESSFULLY. His rabona cross, which Moses
attempted to overhead kick in, was glorious to watch as a Chelsea fan.
Another standout player is Kante. His reactions in the match
was really quick and spot on, as he is famous for. Even more surprising was his
acceleration when he attempts to retrieve a lost ball or to intercept. Kante
has really grown too as a player since he came to Chelsea and is an absolutely
complete Midfield Destroyer. However, due to Hazard’s awesomeness, he deserves
to be a close second.
Player Ratings
-
Goalkeeper
Willy Caballero 6.5
That was an absolute howler from him. Although he wasn’t
troubled much, he did misplace some balls which may get Chelsea into trouble. I
rate him highly as a good shot stopper with great reaction. But this was not
one of his best performances.
-
Defenders
Cesar Azpilicueta 7
Appears to have a dip in form the past couple of games. He
is not too solid, although Moses can also be blamed for some mistakes on the
right. Dave still a great defender with pace and vision. His assist was
brilliant and a good example of this.
Gary Cahill 6.5
Near the end of last season, I would choose Cahill as my
TOTS CB. His greatest attribute is he is an absolute lion and goes into tackles
without a care for his life and do make important interventions at times. But
when nerves or confidence gets to him, it gets displayed quite clearly on the
pitch. I don’t really see him contributing much for this match but he sure
could have staved off some of the Southampton’s attack.
Rudiger 7
Hustleman was brilliant as usual and compared to Dave and
Cahill, he actually looked the most solid.
-
Midfielders
Cesc Fabregas 6.5
What has happened to Fabregas this season? Not always known
for his defensive capabilities, he actually did some successful tackles and won
the ball during this match, But on the attacking note, I fear what many Chelsea
fans may also fear. Cesc may have lost his magical killer pass. It may be due
to Costa missing in the equation (damn, I still miss him), or he is really into
his twilight years. Without his passing range and vision, wherein is Fabregas
value?
Ngolo Kante 7.5
Absolutely brilliant. 70% of the world is covered with water
but Kante covers 100% of the world. He is a class midfielder. Great
acceleration and tackling. Top talent and performance.
-
Wingbacks
Victor Moses 6.5
He does offer a lot going forward, but then he allows gaps
in behind that can be exploited (by Bertrand). May be bereft of creativity
coming forward and may want to look to improve that
Emerson Palmieri 6.5
He was a joy to watch in the first half. He continuously
tried to attack the Southampton defence whenever he had the chance. Tails off
abit on the second half
-
Forwards
Olivier Giroud 7.5
This guy is a world class talent and I cannot believe
Arsenal is willing to let go of him. Sure he has no speed but without his
speed, he is an absolute beast with his hold up play, heading and shooting. In
other words, a true striker. Atleast France appreciates this talent.
Eden Hazard 8
Dribbles, tricks and shots. Wow. Please don’t leave Chelsea
mate
Willian 7.5
Came alive from time to time during the match. When he is on
a break, it was absolutely thrilling to watch him
-
Substitutes
Bakayoko still seems to need more practice or gameplay or
confidence. Morata was a breathe of fresh air when he came on, providing speed
and width but at the same time makes Chelsea lose that dominant character to
dominate in the final third. Pedro offers speed and creativity after the removal
of Willian for Bakayoko. The team is better balanced with three forwards to continue
to create chances.
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