Week 4 Match Review: Bournemouth 0 - Chelsea 1
They say that by the time we get to match week 10, the standings show pretty clear signs of how each team is likely to finish. Which means that we’re 40% of the way to potentially knowing how good (or bad) this Chelsea team really is… aka, no one knows anything yet and the squad is still a malleable blob that’s learning to gel while everything off the field continues to unravel.
While this week’s win on the south coast wasn’t the most inspiring, good teams find a way to come out on top even when things aren’t clicking, so let’s use that as a bit of positivity and a jumping off point to the rest of my observations. I guess we really are Renato Veiga’s team now.
What Was Good
Christopher Nkunku Made the Most of His 18 Minutes
It must be odd for Christopher Nkunku to watch as Chelsea keeps purchasing more and more offensive players who have the potential to jump him in Maresca’s pecking order. And yet, when the team needed a goal most on Saturday, it was le petit prince who secured the win. Coming on in the 79th minute and scoring less than 10 minutes later after a nifty bit of footwork by Jadon Sancho (more on him below), Nkunku finished with a bit of striking precision not often shown by the likes of Nicholas Jackson. There was nothing pretty about the goal, but it got the job done, and it’s those small grinds that will lead to long-term success for the Blues – especially in games they should so clearly win.
Robert Sanchez Looked Like a Proper Number One
Robert Sanchez is 6’6”, an elite long-ball passer, and increasingly proficient with the ball at his feet. These features were all on display against Bournemouth where he was without a doubt the defensive MVP of the entire game. There were several great deflections and a clever penalty stop, but more than anything, he looked confident and in charge behind a bit of a wonky defense (Axel Disasi, just… what happened?). Maybe the added competition of Filip Jorgensen has woken him up a bit more than Djordje Petrovic was able to, or maybe Sanchez just had to find his rhythm again. Either way, it’s nice seeing a sure pair of hands behind the growing strength of Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana in the middle.
I Really Can’t Believe It… Jadon Sancho
Look, did the part of me that has purchased Jadon Sancho on multiple FIFA dynasty teams think this was a fun idea? Of course, but did I think he’d actually make an impact? Let alone in his first game with the team?! I did not. Sancho doesn’t have the speed of Mykhailo Mudryk or the pace of my Portuguese son Pedro Neto, but he might have the best handle and movement on the team. Like a great point guard, the ball just seems to be attached to his being and especially with the rumored return of Ben Chilwell, the left side of the field just got a lot more interesting for Chelsea (and all of us who are masochistic enough to keep watching).
What Was Bad
The Midfield Was Suss
No Enzo Fernandez to push the ball forward, no Roméo Lavia to help Moises Caicedo patrol the middle of the pitch, and a promising, but far from perfect start for Renato Veiga (a player already tasked with playing right back and center back this season), it makes me wonder if loaning out so many midfielders (and selling Conor Gallagher, who appears to be loving the Madridista lifestyle) was the best idea in hindsight. Bournemouth are a well-coached team, but without Sanchez playing the game of his rather up-and-down Chelsea career, this would’ve been a much uglier game.
The Offense Looked Mostly Asleep
There will be games this season when Cole Palmer goes unnoticed. And there will be others when Nicholas Jackson doesn’t make an impact. And additionally there will be some when a visibly frustrated Noni Madueke doesn’t perform. And so on and so forth down the team sheet, but hopefully this will be one of the few matches where the entire offense forgets to show up. If it wasn’t for Sancho and Nkunku playing hero ball in the last 20 minutes of the game, this would’ve been an overall bad outing for the entire front line (Neto didn’t help his cause any with his play either). Hopefully the team will be a bit more alert against a much more vicious West Ham at the weekend. Hopefully.
The Injury Holes Are Growing
As I previously mentioned, Veiga’s start in the midfield wasn’t the worst performance of the day by any means, but the fact that he was there in the first place is worrisome. Lavia, Reece James, and Malo Gusto’s absences were deafening throughout the game – whether that was because of how much space Bournemouth's front line got in the middle of the field or just how out of place Desasi looked throughout the first half. James is set to return soon, which even without him bombing down the sideline will still provide some stability for the team as a whole. A win is a win, but the Blues need defensive strength to support the midfield, which will help free up the front line to be more creative. Let this be the end of this season’s injury plague and not a follow up to last year’s complete squad decimation.
What’s Next
Chelsea travels across town to play a completely overhauled West Ham squad that has looked consistently out of sorts this season under new manager Julen Lopetegui. While it’s easy to dismiss the Hammers, their new players will start to gel sooner rather than later, and even if they don’t this weekend, Marc Cucurella will undoubtedly have his hands full all afternoon with Mohammed Kudus down that flank. Let’s hope for more balloons blown than bubbles at London Stadium, and that Niclas Füllkrug doesn’t decide to use this match as his grand coming out party, shall we?
