Chelsea vs Leeds Confirmed Lineups
Chelsea vs Leeds Confirmed Lineups
The first two matches under Xabi Alonso have been and gone as Chelsea went to Australia to beat Western Sydney Wanderers 6-4 and lose to Tottenham Hotspur 2-1. We are still relatively early in the pre-season march with stops in Hong Kong and Indonesia still to go but after the first landmark, we’ll discuss some lessons learned from the Blues’ two outings so far.
What We Learned From Chelsea Pre-Season in Australia
Liam Delap Is Not Good Enough
While many of us can get behind a second chance, there just cannot be a pathway for Liam Delap to play for this club anymore. His debut campaign was awful, returning just two meagre goals in 1,600 minutes on the field. His play was often poor with rash decisions and petulant challenges being more memorable than anything he did with the football itself.
That has not changed; playing with mostly academy graduates and actual children against the team who finished last in Australia, Delap was embarrassed by his cohorts. Dastan Satpayev showed finishing ability and natural intelligence to move out wide, Ryan Kavuma-McQueen was dangerous, and Joao Pedro put the nail in with a hat trick scored off the bench. The former Ipswich Town man couldn’t get the job done in a situation his teammates made look easy.
Tosin Adarabioyo Cannot Play Significant Minutes
The back line was once again a problem spot for the team as the leaky defence hasn’t yet patched itself up under Alonso. One common face at the scene of the crime was once again, Tosin Adarabioyo. He was on the field for four different goals conceded in just 71 minutes of action across the two friendlies. No serious top club would have an obvious liability like this getting any minutes for them in competitive fixtures.
With an overhaul needed in the back line, one of the first actions the new manager should make is benching Tosin for good, he should only play low-level cup outings or garbage minutes in big wins as there’s little chance any sensible team would take him.
Not Much Has Changed….Yet
Despite a lot of the initial discussions and excitement around how the new manager would play, Chelsea looked familiar, a bit too familiar some might say. The 4-2-3-1 remains as does the more tedious build-up from the back as the centre-backs split wide and a DM drops, the team settles into a similar shape when trying to control the ball in the opposition’s half and the defensive proneness is still there as other teams can get at the back line with a worrisome ease.
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This isn’t a huge red flag yet as Alonso has been working with academy talent and a handful of senior players, sticking to what they know is the best way to ease the transition to his own system. With a number of players set to join up in Hong Kong, it will be interesting to see if his minor alterations become bigger tactical shifts.
Jamie Gittens Has Signs of Life
The left side of the Blues attack was a dark spot last term, with no serious option ever claiming the starting spot without injuries clearing a path. Some fans were potentially too hard towards Jamie Gittens as he only played about half of the campaign due to injuries. While he wasn’t consistent, he did show flashes, even last term, of a good player.
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He has been limited to cameos so far on this tour but he has looked dangerous, providing a strong assist for Estevao against Tottenham in a move that would catch out any back line in the league. If he can continue to show decisiveness and utilise his passing ability to couple with his dribbling, he’ll be a dangerous option for the regular matches.
Satpeyev Is The Real Deal
While the official club media has yet to decide on a spelling for their Uzbek signee, his ability is undeniable. As one of the core pieces of the historic Kairat Almaty team who got to the group phase of the Champions League it should come as no surprise that this is a very talented 17-year-old.
His goal was top drawer, a finish right into the side of the goal with power and loft that even Nicolas Jackson would be envious of. In addition, the attacker looked comfortable playing off the left and moving into a 4-4-2 out of possession as a duo up top.
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