Chelsea kicked off the 2020/21 Premier League season with a win on Monday, beating Brighton & Hove Albion 3-1 at an empty AMEX Stadium. Jorginho, who scored a penalty earned by Timo Werner, Reece James and Kurt Zouma all scored for the Blues, while Leandro Trossard was on the scoresheet for Brighton.
Chelsea: Rusty Performance, Important Win
Timo Werner Will Be an Instant Sensation at Chelsea
While many signings take some time to acclimatize to their new surroundings, especially coming to a foreign country, it does not appear Timo Werner is one of them. The German put in a very promising performance on his debut, one which definitely bodes well for the future.
He won the penalty which Jorginho converted for the opening goal by using his incredible pace to beat the Brighton goalkeeper to the ball, then rounding him. Besides that match-winning moment, he showed an impressive work rate and provided a constant threat.
Last season, Olivier Giroud and Tammy Abraham played up top for Chelsea. Giroud has no pace, while Abraham has nothing to write home about in that department. Now, manager Frank Lampard has an absolute speed demon in Werner, and he showed that on Monday.
Not only did he beat Mat Ryan to the ball for the penalty, but he also made a sensational 70-yard run that would’ve put him in on goal if not for an errant pass from Ruben Loftus-Cheek. When he is in full flight, Werner is truly a sight to behold.
Whereas other signings are less suited to English football, Werner and his pace is enough to fit in just fine. Factor in his work-rate, clinical finishing, and impressive link-up play and you get a quality Premier League striker.
He may not have scored today, but expect many, many goals from Timo Werner this season.
Havertz Needs Some More Time
Monday’s match also featured the debut of Kai Havertz, Chelsea’s marquee signing this summer. His debut was rather uninspiring, although he did show glimpses of what he can offer.
In a surprise move by Lampard, Havertz started on the right-wing to make room for Loftus-Cheek to play the No. 10 position. It’s safe to say that move did not pan out, as the Englishman was unimpressive and the young German too isolated.
In order to be at his best, Havertz needs to be near his attacking teammates in order to facilitate their link-up. He already has a good relationship with Timo Werner on and off the pitch, so starting him centrally in behind the striker seemed like the best solution.
However, with the absences of wingers Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic, Lampard opted to play Havertz on the right. His versatility is very useful, and he can be a winger, but it’s not his best position. Especially during his first few matches, he should be in his favoured area of the pitch to fit in more smoothly.
The 21-year-old only joined up with the squad last week and trained just four times at Cobham, so he needs to be given more time to adjust to his new surroundings. He showed flashes, but it will definitely only get better from here.
We cannot judge Havertz’s performance todaytoo much due to the external factors. Next week against Liverpool will be a chance to show he’s already adjusted to his new club.
Kepa Simply Not Good Enough for Chelsea
A wide range of emotions would’ve gone through a Chelsea fan’s mind after watching another Kepa Arrizabalaga error on Monday; what I can guarantee, though, is that surprise was not one of them.
His mistake for the Brighton goal was typical Kepa. Not a howler, but just not good enough for the world’s most expensive keeper. After all the talk surrounding his future, this was the absolute worst time to make yet another mistake.
Had James not scored an absolute thunderbolt of a strike just two minutes later, it’s possible Chelsea would have dropped points in a very winnable fixture. In that case, the blame would once again have to be placed on Kepa.
With Edouard Mendy‘s arrival seemingly imminent, it’s getting clearer and clearer that he will arrive as a starter. Lampard doesn’t trust Kepa, that part is clear. If he wants to mount a title challenge, which he does, he cannot have the Spaniard starting in goal.
Last season, he cost his side way too many points, and this year could be no different.
With every single match, he slides further and further down the pecking order at Chelsea, and this was no different.
Centre-Backs and Kante Do Their Job Well
Whereas many times last season a good attack was let down by poor defence, this time a good defence was nearly let down a poor attack. Of the three goals the Blues scored, two were scored by defenders, and the other was scored by a holding midfielder.
They weren’t just impressive going forward, though; Andreas Christensen and Zouma did their job expertly against Brighton, conceding very few clear-cut chances. With the signing of Brazilian veteran Thiago Silva, who looks nailed-on to start, so this match was sort of an audition for who will be his partner.
Both Zouma and Christensen were solid defensively and nullified the opposition, with Christensen better on the ball and Zouma better in the air. They also benefited from the great protection of N’Golo Kante, who looks back to his best.
Coming off an injury-plagued season, he marshaled his backline with ease, buzzing around the pitch and destroying attacks consistently throughout. It was a performance where, if he can keep it up, sets him up for an excellent season.
He made a few forward runs, but largely stayed back and covered his centre-halves, which he does so well. If Chelsea are to compete for trophies this season, Kante will have a pivotal role to play, as well as whoever starts at the back, so this is certainly a good sign for Lampard.
Loftus-Cheek Struggling Massively
It was all going so well. Ruben Loftus-Cheek was tearing up the league and looked set to become a Chelsea hero. And then it all fell apart. That one friendly in Boston, Massachusets proved to be a huge blow. Loftus-Cheek tore his Achilles, and he was out for over a year.
He has since recovered, but in a way, he has never fully recovered. He still lacks the one thing that made him so good: his confidence. Before his injury, he’d glide past defenders effortlessly and either shoot or create chances for others. Now, though, he looks lethargic, like he suddenly forgot how to play to his usual best.
Yes, being out for that long is challenging, and yes, he deserves leeway, but he was given that during the whole restart. Barring a nice assist to Abraham against Crystal Palace, he has failed to impress.
It was understandable, though, as he was still working to get match fitness. He now has match fitness, but he looked even worse out there. He messed up simple passes, created fairly little, and he finished with a 50% passing accuracy in the final third, which is disappointing.
Loftus-Cheek started in the coveted number ten position, with both Havertz and Mason Mount, two number tens, on the wings to accommodate him. It was a great show of faith from Lampard, which was a smart play in order to give him confidence. However, he did nothing to repay his manager’s faith, who simply cannot justify starting him against Liverpool now.
If he keeps up this level of performance, the only place he’s heading is the bench, maybe even the stands. It’s a shame because he could’ve been, and still could be, so good, but the truth is he doesn’t look the same anymore.
All in all, a good win for Chelsea, important to get the three points, but the best is yet to come.
Main Photo
Embed from Getty Images
