Chelsea’s Saturday trip to Leicester last weekend pushed the club towards a return to normality. It was the first time since back in October that we’ve managed to win three games in a row across all competitions and at last, it felt like there was light at the end of the tunnel in terms of starting to realise Graham Potter’s game plan.
Heading into yesterday’s game, it was impossible not to respect this Everton side. After all, they’re a Sean Dyche team in the midst of a relegation battle and there are few teams harder to beat in such a scenario. You knew full well that if Chelsea didn’t grab a goal early on, Everton would have all the excuses they needed to sit back and absorb wave after wave of Chelsea attacks. The game didn’t quite go that way, but we can discuss it later.
Feeling the full extent of my Saint Patrick’s day exploits the night before, I once again made the not so bold decision to walk over to Stamford Bridge. Thankfully, there was a break in the weather and it’s a good job too, embracing a beautiful Spring afternoon I’d opted for just a t-shirt and shirt for the weather which was warm enough. The sun was beating down and I was loving life.
Entering the pub yesterday, there was serious cause for celebration. After nearly two months of bootcuts, chinos and brogues dominating pubs on the weekends, the Six Nations was at last reaching it’s finale. All that remained was three back to back games which promised to ruin any pub across the country. Thankfully, the rugby lads were relatively well behaved but we sought a spot in the beer garden outside just to be safe.
When making my prediction for the game, it was hard not to be confident for the match ahead. We’d scored six, whilst conceding just one goal in our three games across March so to me there was little doubt in my mind that we were going to win 3-0 with goals from Havertz, Felix and a first for Benoît Badiashile. Two out of three is decent I think, completely ignoring the score…
Everton spent the majority of the first half sitting back. Nobody was surprised. I’ve never been the sort of person to get annoyed at how defensive some teams play. After all, they need every point they can get in their position and we ourselves won a Champions League from camping in our 18 yard box. There is no right way to win a football match as much as Johan Cruyff may disagree.
It was hard to tell what formation Everton were playing but I do know that it seemed much like our five at the back. The width at the back massively helped to thwart Reece James and Ben Chilwell’s effectiveness in the first half. I’ve felt that Reece James hasn’t quite had the confidence in his body in recent weeks. Hardly surprising given all of his injury woes this season. The second half really felt like a turning point for this though and he was back to his best on the edge of the opposition box, winning the penalty for the second goal.
I thought we looked pretty decent through the first half and this carried on into the second. As my prediction came to life, it was nice to see João Félix clinch his first goal in front of Stamford Bridge. This has been coming for a little while with a few good chances missed but I think he’s settled down to life at Chelsea very well. Whether he will still be here after the summer is another conversation.
It’s hard to be too annoyed at their first goal. Against a Sean Dyche Everton team you do expect them to put themselves out there on set pieces and they did just that. We came painfully close to clearing the ball off the line but it wasn’t to be. The response to going behind was good and Kai Havertz’s penalty was brilliant. The celebration even better. You could see how much it meant to the whole team and whilst we didn’t go on to win the game, it does look like there’s a really good atmosphere in the dressing room right now despite all the new arrivals in January. It’s particularly obvious that João and Kai have built up a bit of chemistry between them.
Kalidou Koulibaly looked completely composed for 89 minutes. Unfortunately in the other minute he played he cost us three points. It’s so frustrating as I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve thought he’s turned a corner, only to throw it all away with one rash decision. The way he was turned by 22 year old Ellis Simms was embarrassing and Kepa’s attempt at saving the shot wasn’t much better. If we’re going to stick by Kepa into next season that you really do need him to be faultless between now and the end of the season but the reality is that’s just not going to happen.
I thought Graham Potter’s substitutes were incredibly poor. This is a tactical move I’ve noticed quite a few times in recent weeks whereby he takes off our wide players and instead opts to flood the middle of the pitch with midfielders. This mean that we ended up effectively matching Everton’s formation and so when we did concede, it made it near impossible to find another goal.
Even more strange was his decision to take Wesley Fofana out of the game. Big Wes has been brilliant in recent weeks and to me, the last position you should be changing when protecting a narrow lead is a centre back who looks comfortable where he is.
The atmosphere inside the ground has definitely improved in recent weeks and that’s obviously due to our form and a renewed sense of confidence in the work of Graham Potter. It’s a shame that we’re midway through March now and the majority of our games mean nothing, but the reality is we’re not going to get Champions League football (captain obvious) and even the Europa or Conference League looks unlikely when you consider other teams games in hand.
I can’t say I’m too disappointed by this scenario. Whilst it may have a slight impact on our budgets for this summer, a reduced schedule of fixtures for next season would do wonders for some of our players and really allow us to make more of a push for the league whilst actually challenging for cups. In this day and age, I think players can look beyond one season of missed Champions League football, particularly when the top four is so ever-changing year on year.
As usual, I’m going to say it’s hard not to feel a bit sorry for Graham Potter in this current situation. This weeks talking point being our ridiculously bloated squad. Even with several players out injured currently, it’s still impossible for everyone to get game time. Players who played well in weeks before are having to be dropped simply to keep others happy which is a very frustrating predicament to find ourselves in. Come summer I’m expecting a major clear out of wasting talent and academy graduates alike.
All in all, it’s pretty hard to be too annoyed about yesterday’s result. Obviously Everton are a team we should always be beating at home, but the circumstances around this dropping of points are certainly different to results in some of the other weeks that have gone by. What was different about yesterday’s game is the players didn’t give up like they have in recent weeks and they kept pushing deep into added time.
I think the fans definitely appreciated this. For the first time in a little while there was a queue out of the ground which suggests that the majority of people had actually stayed in until the final whistle rather than making a run to Fulham Broadway for the next District Line train.
We’ve got an international break now. I’m not quite as relieved or excited for this as I was the World Cup, but it will be nice to have a little break from watching Chelsea so my only real hope is that none of our players get injured.
Up next, we have the pleasure of entertaining Aston Villa.
The Shed Diaries 