If we’re looking for positives to take from this weekend and our 2-0 defeat at St. James’ Park against Newcastle United, we can point to the league table, which still shows us in fifth: one point ahead of Nottingham Forest and level on points with Aston Villa, but well ahead in goal-difference. With two games to go, we remain in control of our Champions League destiny. If we win out, we’re in. It’s far from an impossible task, to beat Manchester United at home and then Nottingham Forest away.
Needless to say however, if we play like we played in the first half, we’ll be lucky to pick up a point, let alone six. Nicolas Jackson’s silly first half sending-off dominated the narrative, but we shouldn’t forget just how ineffective and insipid our approach and performance were before then — especially on, but also off the ball.
That said, if we play like we played in the second half, with just ten men, we might have some real hope yet. While Newcastle’s passive gameplan helped, Chelsea’s response after the break was commendable and it showed the right mentality that we need from the team. We may not have managed to find the equalizer before Bruno Guimarães sealed the deal with a deflected long shot — if only Reece James would’ve kept his header down! — but we could’ve easily just folded and accepted our fates.
“A moral victory is no real victory of course, but Enzo Maresca is hoping to channel that second half energy into Friday’s showdown against Manchester United, our last game at the Bridge this season.
‘The red card affected the game, no doubt, but we had three big chances in the second half, which is not easy with ten men. We are not happy with the defeat but the energy, the spirit and the togetherness of the team in the second half has been fantastic. It’s something I feel proud of.
“Second half we adjusted some things and it went quite well. We even looked like we had more players than them. We need to keep the same energy, the same effort and focus on Friday’s game.”
-Enzo Maresca; source: Chelsea FC
Clear eyes, full hearts, etc.