London is Blue Dispatch #029

Chants of que sera sera and the ball rifling into the Boro net six times both provided ample sounds of music to the Chelsea fans’ ears as the Blues made an emphatic statement to turn around a 1-0 deficit and register their place in the EFL Cup final. Here are some of the good, the bad and the ugly aspects of a crucial win at Stamford Bridge, before another vital cup tie against Aston Villa.

The Good

Chilwell’s Impact

Ben Chilwell’s last start before last night was the EFL Cup third round win over Brighton, in which he captained the side to a 1-0 win. Four months later, his first start back was captaining the side to a win in the same competition. In a team full of exciting attackers who demand ball to feet, Chilwell’s off-the-ball volume and quality prove invaluable.

His first moment of prominence was ghosting in behind the last line to attack a long ball, a header which he couldn’t get on target but should have had a penalty for. A while later, he drifted inside, and Boro failed to react to a fullback venturing centrally. Chilwell prodded a throughball for Sterling, who made our vital opener. Pochettino mentioned post-match that the 27-year-old leftback could only complete 65 minutes, and the aim is to push him to 80, then 90 minutes, before getting him to play every 2-3 days consistently. First choice leftback and vice-captain fit, and moving Colwill back to LB would be triple delight at this stage of the season.

The Bad

The Broja Conundrum

With Nicolas Jackson at AFCON, this spell of the season was highlighted as Armando Broja’s time to shine as the undisputed starting CF, an audition for his future against modest opposition. Four games in against Preston, Boro (2x) and Fulham, the numbers look bleak. Broja’s failed to register a single shot on target in his last three appearances (157 minutes.) Since Jackson’s departure, he has only mustered 7 shots on goal in 4 games, with four of those coming against Preston.

Although there has been a minor improvement in his hold-up play and willingness to press, there is a profound lack of movement in the box, and a stoic presence that has proved simple even for Championship centerbacks. Strong underlying metrics, such as generating at least 4 shots a game would have helped his case, but even if we exclude 4-minute and 1-minute outings vs Brighton and City respectively, 4 shots on target in 709 minutes is downright abysmal for a side creating a high-volume of chances. There will always be sympathy for a career-threatening injury, which required grueling, heart-wrenching rehabilitation, but failing to grab his chances before Jackson returns could spell the end of his Chelsea career The good news is that Aston Villa’s highline is up next; if he can avoid their offside trap and do what he does best, he could buy priceless seconds and faith before a run of key fixtures gets underway next month.

The Ugly

Back to Square One for Misha

The nightmare lasted 45 minutes, but it was all the evidence anyone needed to understand why Pochettino played Chilwell over Mykhailo Mudryk at left-wing at the start of the season. The fact that the point has held up half-a-year on is quite astonishing. At various junctures, Enzo Fernandez snapped at him, visibly irritated, because he wasn’t reading the right moments to attack the space in behind. Chilwell chimed in too, constantly guiding him positionally. At one point, Poch had to beckon Chilwell closer and instructed him to switch roles with Mudryk, going wide to attack space in behind and leaving Mudryk in the half-space. The result? Mudryk gifted the ball straight to a Boro player for a transition with his first touch.

This newsletter has highlighted his nascent tactical understanding in the past, about difficult personal circumstances and the need for time. Last night’s performance was an insult to all the tiny jumps he has made in the right direction earlier this season. At one point, Enzo asked him for a run in behind and Mudryk just shrugged, a response that betrayed frustration of being treated like a child and the petulance to not register that he actually was one for not following through with the right instruction from Enzo, who crashed the box in that very same sequence from further back to score. It ultimately led to him being dragged off at half-time, a display that would have merited a far more scathing response had it not been an imperious showing from everyone else.

It is the kind of performance that makes you forget that it was his stoppage time goal in the last round that got us to this game in the first place. The penalty in the shootout was immaculate too. There’s a good player in there, but one that only seems to pop up at times no one can predict. It will take some performance to banish this last one from memory for good. Luckily, there are more important games to do just that.