Week 15 Match Review: Tottenham 3 - Chelsea 4
Before we get started – no, your eyes are not deceiving you… I did, in fact, skip over last week’s bludgeoning of 10-man Southampton. What is there to say? 26 shots on target for Chelsea. Five clinical finishes from Disasi, Nkunku, Madueke, Palmer, and Sancho with another four shots off the woodwork and three near-misses that made me wonder how João Felix didn’t get a hat trick. Just goes to show that you shouldn’t poke the bear, or in this case, ever so slightly pull the hair of Marc Cucurella (he might’ve just stunted his way into the best supporting actor race).
But that was then (last Wednesday), this is now (last Sunday), and Chelsea currently sit second in the table behind only Liverpool, who still have a game in hand. Remember when fans were sure Maresca would be done by Christmas? Or when they thought Cole Palmer was a pointless transfer? Well folks, look at them now. Chelsea is one of the most fluid, yet focused teams in the league. And while the defense and keeper situation will continue to frustrate, the Blues (as a unit) are flying right now. Thanks Tottenham, we couldn’t have done it without you. Let’s explore.
What Was Good
Cole Palmer Was Inevitable
Here are the top five coldest things Palmer did against Tottenham on Sunday:
5. Be completely unfazed by Spurs fans throwing trash at him while he waited to take a corner. In retrospect, this might’ve stoked the fire more than they’d anticipated.
4. The first penalty. That’s it, nothing else needs to be said.
3. Dribbling around, through, and between multiple Spurs defenders, many of whom looked puzzled in real time at what they were witnessing, before taking a shot that ricocheted perfectly to Enzo Fernandez, resulting in a sniper-level volley that tied the game up.
2. The panenka penalty that sealed the game.
1. The fact that Palmer claimed he hadn’t planned on doing that until he approached the ball after the whistle was blown for the penalty. Simply, Palmer doesn’t like litter and he wanted Spurs fans to know that. Also, the above photo of Spurs keeper Fraser Forster realizing he just got panenka’d with the ball softly floating by the back of his head at eye level is just… well, maybe Chelsea really is back?
Two Somewhat Surprising Quality Finishes
Little Enzo’s volley for goal number two was flawless, no notes. In his last eight games (across all competitions), he has three goals and seven assists, which is surely a result of playing further up the pitch with both Romeo Lavía and Moises Caicedo on the pitch behind him in possession. It’s all glorious to behold, but Jadon Sancho’s goal might’ve been even more heartening. There was a time when Sancho looked like the future of English football and now he’s become a good rotation player in Maresca’s system who seems genuinely happy playing whatever role he’s asked to take on. But every now and then, it’s nice to see him remind everyone why he’s truly special, and the goal to get Chelsea back into the game after their absolutely abysmal start was a prime example of that.
Maresca’s Adaptability (Sorry, Ange)
A lot of supporters worried that Maresca’s resoluteness in sticking to his playing style and philosophy would hinder him from pushing this team to greatness. And yet, it was his acceptance of failure and decision to adapt after Tottenham scored (and Cucuerlla literally took an L) for the second time is why he’s quickly making people forget about Poch’s success at the end of last year. Unlike Ange Postecoglou, a man with a face and game plan made of stone, Maresca changed tactics and adjusted the formation of the squad that would quickly get Chelsea back into the mix. If the Blues are able to remain in a Champions League spot for the rest of the year, Maresca’s ability to see what he got wrong and adapt will be a major reason why.
What Was Bad
Marc Cucurella’s Slip Slidin’ Away
Marcus Aurelius Cucurella (just assuming here) has become one of the stalwarts and most appreciated players on this current incarnation of Chelsea – which is wild when you think about the highs Ben Chillwell reached at his peak. The Spaniard is ruthless, versatile, and, at 26, experienced when compared to most of his teammates. He is also prone to odd mishaps from time to time, like when he fell twice in the first 15 minutes of Sunday’s match at North London, with each occurrence immediately leading to a Spurs goal. Luckily, he was able to switch boots, stay on his feet, and help secure the three points. But if it wasn’t Spurs, well, he’d be hearing about it the rest of the season.
(Ham)string Theory
One of the few real negatives from Sunday’s match was the disappearance of Lavía after halftime. According to Maresca, the stud midfielder picked up a minor hamstring injury and was taken out more as a precaution. However, with Wesley Fofana and Reece James already missing extended time with hamstring issues, it’s clear that the gaffer is taking even the slightest blips seriously. Speaking about first-team defenders missing time…
Whoever’s Playing Next to and Behind Levi Colwill
With Fofana and James out until further notice, the backline and keeper situation looked especially soft against Tottenham’s at times relentless pressing and offensive deluge – hence the two early goals and late third to make things uncomfortably close. Colwill is not to blame in this situation, and neither really is Caicedo playing in the mutant right back-meets-second pivot in possession position. Cucurella had some bumps (née falls), but it’s really the other center backs (and omnipresence of Robert Sanchez) that continue to cause concern. Filip Jörgensen looked strong against Southampton in the midweek matchup (as he should), which seems like enough evidence to give him another Premier League runout sooner rather than later. Benoît Badiashile has played well in certain moments, but this wasn’t particularly one of them. Will it be Tosin or Axel Disasi? Most likely not, but Maresca’s biggest reason to continue downplaying the squad as title contenders is he knows that two of the last three men that stand before opposing teams and the goal are not the long term answers at their respective positions.
What’s Next
All aboard to Kazakhstan! The Blues head to Astana for their midweek Conference League tussle. Hopefully Mykhailo Mudryk will be over his recent illness in time to shine a little closer to home (OK, Donetsk and Astana are almost 3,000km apart, but it’s closer than London). Then Chelsea welcome Brentford to the Bridge for the late game on Sunday. On the one hand, Brentford haven’t lost a single game at home this season. On the other, the Bees have one victory in eight on the road. If the defense can play above average, the thriving frontline should be able to do the rest. Well, as long as everyone picks the right shoes this time around.
