The Blues took a real positive step forward for the first time this season in a successful, if slightly unconvincing outing against Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Saturday night.
Jose Mourinho would have been breathing sighs of relief well into the night after his squad emerged with a 2-0 victory, following a Diego Costa tap-in and an unfortunate own goal for Alan Hutton.
With just as much on the line themselves, the Villans fought hard over every inch of space on the field in a competitive opening stage which saw the goalkeepers tested at both ends. Arguably against the run of play, Chelsea found the breakthrough soon after the half-hour mark after Brad Guzan’s poor pass out from the box to Joleon Lescott was quickly stripped by Willian, who laid it across the face of goal for the simplest of finishes from Costa.
The goal helped the Blues settle into a rhythm that at times resembled the patience and controlling of possession that lead to the title last season. Yet it did little to dent the spirits of Tim Sherwood’s men, possibly playing for the managers career, who lacked no shortage of effort but found it increasingly difficult to get meaningful possession in their half.
Hutton’s own goal in the 54th, which could largely be attributed to some cool foot-work inside the 18-yard area from Costa, would prove to be the decisive blow in a result that took pressure off of one manager, while possibly condemning the other to imminent-unemployment.
Formations
After a recent period of particularly vocal outcry from the Chelsea fans, what has so far been a poorly performing line-up received some fresh injection due to injuries from the preceding international break. A hamstring injury meant right-back Branislav Ivanovic made way for the Premier League debut of Baba Rahman, while poor showings saw Nemanja Matic and the once-instrumental playmaker Eden Hazard on the sidelines. Youngster Reuben Loftus-Cheek took up the spot in the attacking-trio with Pedro and Willian, behind the returning Diego Costa.
Expecting a tougher outing than last weekend’s fixture against Stoke City, Tim Sherwood set his side in a more conservative 4-2-3-1 formation for the journey to South London. Kieran Richards took up the right-back mantle in place of Angel Crespo, alongside Micah Richards, Joleon Lescott and Hutton. Idrissa Gueye dropped slightly deeper to help Ashley Westwood screen the backline, with Chargles Gil, Jack Grealish and Jordan Ayew ready to feed Rudy Gestede.
Much-needed rotation hits the mark for Jose
No matter the circumstances, this week the ‘Special One’ was forced to make the changes to his starting line-up that so many fans and observers would have thought were obvious decisions weeks ago. Summer arrival Rahman was finally given his chance to start a Premier League contest, with Cesar Azpilicueta taking place of the woeful Ivanovic and hopefully he would have had the manager thinking intently about the positions, marshalling the wing with confidence. Opposing right-winger Charles Gil’s influence was kept to a minimum and only two of Villa’s six crosses into the box came through this side of the field. The 21-year-old also recorded four successful tackles, three clearances and three blocks.
In a further show of Mourinho’s dissatisfaction, last season’s Player of the Year Hazard was left to watch from the bench until the closing minutes. Pedro and Willian seem to be the rock-solid servicemen for Costa, the two combining to created four chances on goal and circulated the ball with 85% accuracy.
Villa let down in the attacking-half
With 54% of the total possession during the match, Tim Sherwood could hardly be blamed for expecting his players to get something of a result from the home of the wounded reigning champions. The Villans started with little fear of their opponents and looked to have the required confidence even after Chelsea added to the deficit, yet it was moments of laziness at the back and a general clumsiness when trying to generate an attack which cost them the points. Guzan’s distribution could best be described as horrid, while Micah Richards, Jordan Amavi, Ayew and Charles Gil were all also guilty of cheaply giving the ball away on the wings.
After taking four shots on goal before conceding the first goal, only six more would come from Villa during the near-hour of play which followed and only one of those total 10 would test Asmir Begovic.
Chelsea conclusion
It may not have been the prettiest victory the reigning champions have ever put on the board, but it was one that was desperately needed, following what may have been the most composed performance from Chelsea since the beginning of 2015-16. Mourinho looks to have put his foot down in regards to the recent underwhelming showings of key names and the fresh faces certainly helped where the team had been most lacking. Tel Aviv await in a midweek European commitment and with a clash against the high-flying West Ham awaiting next weekend we will quickly find out whether the Blues have picked themselves up with some real intent, or whether this result was more due to the opposition.
[interaction id=”5625292841d4754d146ecec9″]
Aston Villa conclusion
Another game without any real venom in his players takes Sherwood another step closer to the exit at Villa Park, with the team still only recording one win from the nine games played. While rightly showing little respect for Chelsea’s reputation at home, the technical nuance needed was not in the side and after some bright periods early, they were left holding the ball but not knowing what to do with it. The manager may be down to his last chance as the Villans next host Swansea City, but morale continues to be hammered and it looks as though a dramatic change may be the only way to ensure Premier League survival.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter@Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
