You’ll struggle to see a day and a half that more perfectly summarise Chelsea Football Club in 2023 than the last 36 hours.
On Saturday I met a few university friends to try and enjoy the Manchester Derby. A game that really did mean quite little for Chelsea but equally one that could’ve at least provided some comedic value. Sadly, any such joy on my Saturday was relatively short-lived thanks to one of the worst refereeing decisions I’ve ever seen as Manchester United turned the game on it’s head within just a few minutes.
Anyway, the result of this didn’t really matter. What did interest me was the conversation between a couple of Arsenal fans who had come to watch the game with me. They seemed pretty happy with how the season was going (to say the least), and how could they not? But more than that, they were enlightened by the prospect of Mykhailo Mudryk joining them. After all, they’d seemingly scouted and been in discussions with Shakhtar about him for months so I could hardly blame them.
I didn’t think a huge amount to the conversation I was half-heartedly listening to as I passively aggressively sipped my beer. If anything I was slightly jealous at how happy they were having seemingly found a missing piece to a puzzle they were so desperate to complete. If slightly overpriced, they seemed at good odds to sign a young, hungry attacker who was oh so desperate to play for them.
Not even three hours later, Chelsea Football Club’s social media had become a shrine to a player whom, for the last few weeks, was on his knees to play for one of our biggest rivals.
At first I was shocked. It seemed neither real nor possible. But then the reality sunk in. We had stolen Arsenal’s number one transfer target from right under their noses purely because we could throw more money at them.
My thoughts on the signing? I’m not sure what to think. I couldn’t help but think that the João Félix signing was nothing more than a reaction to both Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic’s injuries against Manchester City. With Félix now banned for the next month or so this seemed the obvious overreaction. But equally, Arsenal and Arteta wanted him quite badly. We now have him and that’s kind of funny. Worth a few extra million euros at least.
Arsenal banter aside. Onto the game.
After Thursday night’s visit to Craven Cottage I really wasn’t sure what to think going into today’s fixture. Our form provided very little to be inspired by and the general atmosphere around the club suggested similar.
Myself and Alfie met in the Wolfpack pub pre-game to digest the recent weeks as well as engaging in general pre-match discussion. Our opinions on the line up were similar. The front three provided very little to be excited about and the defence seemed anything but stable. Thiago Silva was the only constant with Trevoh Chalobah once again at right back and Lewis Hall at left back, with Benoît Badiashile afforded his first appearance for the club.
Even worse, my moustache came under attack from a nearby table, with comments suggesting it belonged in the 1980’s. It’s safe to say we made a quick exit from the establishment and readied ourselves to remember a Chelsea legend.
For me, highlight of the day and I suspect much of the season, was the truly beautiful tribute to Gianluca Vialli pre-game. It was an incredibly fitting celebration for a player and manager whose impact can almost certainly not be matched in modern day football.
A legend of football. Thank you Gianluca.
The first half itself was a fairly typical affair as far as Chelsea’s recent form is concerned. We started extremely brightly but were ultimately unable to capitalise on any chances.
Hakim Ziyech was playing like a man possessed. It’s hard to exactly quantify why he was so up for it today. Perhaps he knew a prospective buyer was watching or maybe the arrival of Mudryk set alarm bells off in his head but either way a player whom can oh-so-often watch the game pass by him was at the very peak of his powers. Crystal Palace had no answer for him as he put ball after ball into the box as well as showing some delightful close control. Without a doubt in my top three players on the pitch.
Kepa Arrizabalaga seemed destined to extend his own run of failing to deal with crosses leading to opposition goals. Thankfully his well positioned body stopped any further misery befalling upon us. Until next time.
Conor Gallagher was brilliant. I’ve perhaps been once of his bigger critics this season, which is perhaps harsh given how inconsistent his minutes on the pitch have been. Today, playing the full 90 minutes, he was up for it. Crystal Palace fans showed no hesitation in showing their own dissatisfaction as he had the game at his fingertips. Whilst there are rumours circulating in the press about a potential move to South London this window, I’d be shocked if this wasn’t his home for at least the next six months.
Kai Havertz was frustrating once more. It’s difficult to have too much criticism for a player who has ultimately been mis-used for his entire Chelsea career but equally one whom has failed to display the basics time and time again. Either way, he once again he proved the difference in the score line with a wonderful header.
Benoît Badiashile started the game slightly on edge understandably but grew into it quite brilliantly and genuinely seemed assured towards the end as Palace launched attack after attack onto our goal. Whilst tall, he seemed somewhat slight in his presence. It’s a small sample frame of course, but once this guy fills out he could lock down a place in our defence for years to come.
I genuinely cannot say anything more about Thiago Silva. I simply refuse to believe he is 38 years old and he is quite simply one of the finest players I have ever seen. I will be truly devastated when he leaves. Once again, he proved instrumental as a consistent presence in our defence against a Palace side who seemed destined to equalise.
The general feeling after the game was one of both relief and real happiness. With the North London Derby taking centre stage, it was really hard to side with either one of Tottenham or Arsenal as the 4:30 kick off appeared on the big screen in the pub. Whilst a draw was realistically the best result, I found myself battling mixed emotions as Arsenal played them off the park.
For everything I dislike about Arsenal Football Club, you cannot help but admire the position they now find themselves in. After all, if you look back at some of the challenges they’ve faced in recent years it would’ve been all too easy to simply part ways with their manager. Ultimately, they’ve backed the man they felt was best suited to restore them to their glory years and their position is one we can only aspire to hopefully reach in the next few seasons.
I felt slightly sick writing that.
Anyway, up next we have Liverpool. Somehow, I genuinely have no idea why, we’re on the same points as them. I don’t want to say it too loudly, but I think today’s result could have far bigger consequences on our season than many realise, and I feel quietly confident. But let’s see.
I’ll be back for Fulham at home in 19 days time. The Premier League have blessed us with a Friday night slot which I intend to take full advantage of. With us out of the cup, the just one game in 19 days gives us an excellent opportunity to take stock of what we have, whilst finalising incomings and outgoings and I really am excited to see the result.
Thanks for reading if you’ve made it this far and see you next time!
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