On Saturday, Chelsea defeated Bournemouth by a narrow 1-0 lead. Cristopher Nkunku scored the last-minute winner against the Cherries to seal all three points of the Blues. This goal was assisted by Jadon Sancho.
In the recent years, Chelsea have been seen as a club where half of their players remain injured. However this season, things are happening in a different way. Many players are returning from injury quickly. At this moment, only a few players are injured, which includes Recce James, Romeo Lavia, Malo Gusto, and Filip Jorgensen. According to football.london, Malo Gusto was absent from the Blues’ pre-Bournemouth training session. This indicates that his injury is a serious one.
So, almost all the players were available. That is why everyone is saying that the 11 that Enzo Maresca put against Bournemouth was probably the strongest 11 the fans have seen so far.
Post-match analysis
The match started with waves of attack from Bournemouth. Tavanier and Justin Kluivert were attempting shots towards Chelsea’s net. In the first half, both Wesley Fofana and Axel Disasi were played very sloppily. The latter gifted away a penalty to Bournemouth, but Robert Sanchez saved it, keeping Chelsea at bay. Somehow the Blues managed to survive the first half. Although there were some moments where the Blues created chances, none of the players converted them. Nicolas Jackson missed multiple chances.
In the second half, Maresca made changes, bring in Pedro Neto and Jadon Sancho. This substitution changed the game a lot. After coming on to the pitch, Sancho was effectively taking on defenders and was creating goalscoring opportunities. The English winger was absolutely phenomenal down the left-hand side.
At first, Sancho made a cutback and made a goalscoring chance for Nicolas Jackson. But the Senegalese forward was unable to utilize that opportunity. But chances kept coming from Sancho’s feet.
In the last ten minutes, Maresca brought in Christopher Nkunku in place of Nicolas Jackson. This substitution worked for the Blues as the French forward scored the winning goal for Chelsea.
Although Jadon Sancho received the ‘Man of the Match’ award, Robert Sanchez was a worthy candidate for the award. Throughout the game, he protected Chelsea’s net like a rock-solid wall.
Most importantly, Anthony Taylor was the match referee of this game. He always makes controversial decisions, and he did it again. Anthony Taylor gave 14 yellow cards. According to multiple sources, this is the highest number of yellow cards that are given in a Premier League match.
A new dawn at Chelsea
These recent performances have ignited some hope for the Blues. After playing four games, Chelsea have picked up seven points. In the last season, the Blues were unable to achieve this number.
If Maresca’s Chelsea can maintain their recent form and win games against midtable clubs like Bournemouth, Everton, and Wolves, they can surely finish in the top four spots. In this gameweek, Liverpool lost points against Nottingham Forest. So, this is a big chance for the Blues. It seems that Enzo Maresca has found a consistent starting eleven. If Chelsea can maintain this team, they are going to trouble the big six.
At this moment, there are multiple players in Chelsea. The squad is bloated with talented players but only eleven of them can play for the first team. In the near future, Estevao Willian and Kendry Paez might be joining the first team. So, there will be a lot of competition for the left and right-wing positions.
It is being said that Enzo Maresca has made a ‘bomb squad’, that trains away from the first eleven. Whenever the transfer window will be open, these players will be sold. Chelsea prospect Cesare Casadei has been included in this squad.
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