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Pat Nevin has revealed that Chelsea's main threat in their crucial Premier League match against Nottingham Forest is in the shape of Chris Wood. The ex-Blues' man expressed fear about his former club's defensive solidity leading to the finale showdown, where they would need to shut Wood down.
Wood has been leading Forest's charge, scoring 20 shots in 35 Premier League appearances this term. His effectiveness and composed finishing in the box is impressive, but it could cause problems for the Blues in their final league match of the season.
Nevin pointed out the Blues' backline as a problem, explaining (via ChelseaNews):
“It’s been different, it’s changed throughout the season. It always has to be Levi Colwill, but it’s who goes beside him. Trevoh Chalobah has been good, Tosin Adarabioyo has come in, various people have done it, and it’s got a bit more stable recently, but this is a test.
“Especially against Anthony Elanga and Chris Wood, they are good players who are hard to deal with."
The former player continued, warning against Wood specifically:
“Colwill is a little older now, but he will need all the experience in the world to keep Wood quiet. Wood has had a brilliant season. His movement is superb and he’s so intelligent. If Chelsea can keep Wood from scoring, I think Chelsea will win.
"They have more quality in the rest of the field, they are slightly better. But it’s so slight, it’s wafer thin between the two clubs.”
The game is crucial to both clubs. Chelsea are on 66 points and fifth, in pursuit of UEFA Champions League qualification. Forest sit one point behind in seventh place, and are also gunning for the Champions League.
Chelsea defender Levi Colwill speaks about facing Nottingham Forest
Chelsea centre-back Levi Colwill has emphasized tactical discipline as the Blues head into Sunday's crucial Premier League match against Nottingham Forest. As the final league match of the season, it will determine whether the Blues or Forest qualify for the Champions League.
Colwill said to the Blues' official website (via ChelseaNews):
“It will be a tough game, a tough atmosphere, but we know what we need to do. They are going to be a tough team to play against. We are going to have to work really hard to break them down, but when we do create chances we have to score them, and not give them any chance to counter-attack.
“They are going to push harder than they might normally because they have to win too, and we have to be smart and pick our moments when to exploit that, and times when to sit off and let them give us what they’ve got. We just have to find the balance to make sure we win the game.”
The Blues' strike force has been boosted by the return to fitness for strikers Christopher Nkunku and Marc Guiu. They seem to have shaken off their injuries and are ready for selection. Their return is well timed, as suspended regular first-choice striker Nicolas Jackson remains out of action.
After this final league game, the Blues will turn to the final of the UEFA Conference League against Real Betis in Poland on May 28. It would make them the first team to have won all four of the biggest European trophies if they get the job done.
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Nnanna Mba
Nnanna is a European and international football journalist who has been covering news and transfer rumors at Sportskeeda for around 5 years. A keen interest in reading and football since an early age, watching games at local stadiums with family paved the way for him to take up the sport professionally.
Nnanna’s favorite club is English team Bolton Wanderers because he witnessed Nigeria legend Jay-Jay Okocha's play for them between 2002 and 2006. His favorite footballer is Ronaldinho due to the Brazilian's love for the sport and admires Pep Guardiola for redefining football tactics. As a former literature student, Nnanna reckons that the best way of connecting with the readers is to add a bit of empathy in his writing, and relies on trusted websites like Transfermarkt and WhoScored for his articles.
Lionel Messi lifting the World Cup trophy in 2022 is Nnanna’s favorite FIFA World Cup moment, and also follows Major League Soccer due to the diminutive Argentine. He strongly believes that Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland could be the next two superstars in the same light as legendary pair Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
When not writing, he likes to play Football Manager and other simulation games.
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