Week 3 Match Review: Chelsea 1 - Crystal Palace 1
And we’re back… to mediocrity. It seems only fitting that Crystal Palace’s first showing as the team we all thought they would be this season was against the Blues, who were riding high after last week’s absolute shellacking at Molineux. There were some good signs, and some causes for concern, but we might look back at this draw as a good result against one of the most organized teams in the league. Or the lack of a win here might haunt the team into seventh place at season’s end. Now, let’s have a closer look.
What Was Good?
Nicolas Jackson Is Solidifying Himself as an Actual Striker (And Noni Madueke Continues to Rule the Right Side)
Chelsea’s 2.27 xG against Palace says it all: the squad produced a lot of chances this weekend, most of which should’ve been finished off by Jackson and Madueke. However, the fact that they should’ve collectively scored three or four times shows that the chances are there and should eventually hit. With Pedro Neto looking fully fit and Palmer appearing to be playing puppet master with the entire final third, these two will get a lot of chances to finish and were both instrumental in both the build up and finishing for the Blues’ one goal of the match. Speaking of that goal…
Cole Palmer 2.0 Is In Full Effect
He might not be scoring at last season’s clip, but Palmer’s facilitating – both via set pieces and transition – is in mid-season form already. His nifty set up for Jackson’s goal was good, but his corners and very near miss in the first half show that while he still has a nose for goal, he’s taking his second full season at the Bridge to try to round out his game. Once the rest of the team starts finishing at a better clip, we’re going to see a whole new version of the coldest young player (and haircut) in the league.
Levi Colwill Did Something Productive!
Blink and you’ll miss it, but this season’s shakiest member of the backline actually did something excellent on Sunday by starting the counter that led to Jackson’s tap in from Palmer. In what was one of the best Chelsea sequences of play in this young season, Colwill’s interception and quick outlet to Madueke, which then led to Palmer’s previously mentioned niftiness to Jackson for the goal, was a very head’s up play from a player who has looked… over-matched at times, let’s say. If this squad can consistently explode in transition though, something that was certainly uncommon under the past four managers, then Enzo’s system might finally be starting to show signs of progress.
What Was Bad?
The Front Line’s Luck Against Dean Henderson
As I mentioned before, Jackson and Madueke had a lot of chances on Sunday, which only resulted in a little tap-in for the team’s recently-extended number nine (which also happens to be the number of years included in Jackson’s updated contract). Much of the goal squandering shouldn’t be chocked up to sloppy finishing, however, as much as it should to Dean Henderson just playing out of his mind. Remember when this guy was thought to be United’s next great keeper AND potentially England’s new number one? Also, remember the hats? Well, Sunday was a reminder of exactly why at least one of those might not be a pipe dream forever.
Jadon Sancho’s Arrival
Look, I never really thought the Oshimen thing was going to happen (and who knows how close the team got with him), but loaning out Raheem Sterling to turn around and take Sancho for the season with an obligation to buy is a very odd consolation. Madueke has played himself into a sure-fire starter on the right wing, and while depth is always good, there’s simply no way Sancho (a childhood Blues supporter) agreed to join Chelsea as a backup. He has all the potential in the world and maybe it really was just a bad sitch in Manchester, but this deal doesn’t radiate with upside if Sancho isn’t able to adapt to Maresca’s vision for the team.
The Injury Bug Is Back In Full Force
It’s always nice when the international break comes at the right time. Reece James is still out and his backup/basically now full-time starter Malo Gusto appears to have tweaked his hamstring at the end of the Palace match. Combine that with Romio Lavia’s sudden absence from the team and it’s starting to feel like last season all over again in terms of players not being able to stay on the field. I’m a big fan of Renato Veiga, but he didn’t exactly dominate on the right side against Servette, so let’s hope at least one of the team’s actual right backs will be match fit when the team heads to Bournemouth on the 14th.
