Stop Hazard, stop Chelsea? Not a chance…
Date published: Sunday 18th December 2016 12:14
“They’re finding it difficult to get Diego Costa into this game.”
Sorry Crystal Palace fans; there were about seven seconds between me uttering those words and Costa’s header hitting the back of the net. They were finding it difficult – largely because Palace were doing an excellent job of limiting his supply line – and then they found a different route. Because, as they cliche goes, that’s what champions do.
For 43 minutes, Chelsea had prodded and probed, only to find Alan Pardew’s side unusually resolute and surprisingly well-drilled. Joe Ledley and James McArthur were disciplined in central midfield, Jason Puncheon and Wilfried Zaha all-but nullified the threat of Chelsea’s wing-backs and Costa was having practically no fun at all; the half-time statistics showed no outfield player had touched the ball less and his pass completion rate was a woeful 36.4%.
“Hazard and Willian are the two that I think are the best, so those pockets are going to be important that we block those up today and also carry a threat,” said Pardew before the game. For 43 minutes the plan worked excellently, with Hazard frustrated in any and every attempt to link with Costa and ultimately get beyond him; his only first-half touch in Palace’s area was a sideways pass out to his wing-back.
So when Hazard was once again forced back by a wall of Palace players, it seemed that the home side had once again done their job. Except Hazard’s ball found Cesar Azpilicueta, who stepped into a massive unoccupied space as Palace players followed their instructions to plug pockets further up the pitch, to float a sumptuous ball into the area. Astonishingly, it was Chelsea’s first headed goal of the season. Chelsea showed us they have a devastating Plan B without looking towards the bench.
And with that, Palace’s perfectly good tactics were destroyed. As soon as one of the worst Premier League teams was forced to open up against the very best, Chelsea looked irresistibly dangerous again. This Antonio Conte side look like they could hold a 1-0 lead for 40 days and 40 nights, relishing the chance to defend with resilience and then break with speed. This is a side that has dropped only two points all season from winning positions and that was way back in September and involved some incredible refereeing, a different formation and a late equaliser from Chelsea themselves.
Chelsea ended the game at Palace with less possession and a lower pass completion rate than a team now entrenched in a relegation battle but they will care not a jot; they also ended it with three points. When the two attacking players targeted by the opposition manager produce more tackles (7) than key passes (4) or shots (0) and still end up on the winning side, you wonder how this Chelsea team can possibly be stopped.
Sarah Winterburn
EmoticonEmoticon