In our latest episode of The Chelsea Spot Podcast, Paree (Owner – @CFCParee) was joined by Rob (Admin – @CFCRobL) & Tom (@tmdftbl) to discuss the exciting news in the last few weeks. *Recorded before Todd Boehly was deemed the clear favourite*. They discussed the 1-1 draw against Manchester United and Tuchel’s in game management, Todd Boehly’s bid and what we would like to see from our new owner, a deep dive into how good our squad actually is and looking ahead to Sunday’s game against Super Frank’s Everton.
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In our latest episode of The Chelsea Spot Podcast, Paree (Owner – @CFCParee) , Orlando (Host – @0rland1nho) & Rob (Admin – @CFCRobL) gave thoughts after Chelsea’s disappointing draw with Everton. The boys discussed the big missed chances, Tuchel’s poor in game management, the terrible bench, Chalobah’s importance to the team, Loftus-Cheek’s recent performances and so much more!
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Chelsea FC have broken their transfer record to re-sign Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan. Let’s go down memory lane to revisit his history with the club, define what he will bring in the coming season, and how his game can potentially evolve as he gets older
Past
Romelu Lukaku joined Chelsea from Anderlecht for £10m on August 2011 but he was the 5th striker in the squad. Chelsea had just signed Fernando Torres for a record breaking £50m six months ago, there was the talisman but ageing Didier Drogba, squad player Saloman Kalou and fellow youngster Daniel Sturridge. Lukaku was part of the Belgian revolution led by Michael Emenalo and joined around the same time as Kevin De Bruyne and a year earlier than the Hazard brothers. He was a huge fan of Drogba and the club.
Figure 1: Romelu Lukaku signs for Chelsea, Courstesy Getty Images
2011/12 was largely spent on the bench or with the reserves and wasn’t even in the Champions league squad of 25. Chelsea didn’t do too bad though winning the Champions league title though they came 6th in the league.
For the 2012/13 season Chelsea knew they were going to play a lot of games with their involvement in the Club World Cup in addition to the usual commitments. Drogba and Kalou left as well. However, Lukaku was sanctioned to leave on loan to West Brom. Chelsea only had two strikers in Torres and the untested Sturridge. The 25-man squad included Lucas Piazon (18), Nathan Ake (17), and Florent Malouda who were not expected to play. The club ended up playing more than 65 games that season.
Lukaku at that moment was not a complete striker. He had a weak right foot, could not run with the ball or take players on. He was primarily a poacher, getting into good positions and finishing off moves. He scored 17 goals which was more than all of Chelsea’s strikers.
Jose Mourinho returned to the club at the start of the 2013 season and there was lots of excitement. Lukaku was expected to stay and compete with Torres. He played in pre-season friendlies, and even the Super Cup against Bayern Munich where he missed the decisive penalty in the shootout. The club were chasing Wayne Rooney all summer and ended up with an ageing Samuel Etoo. Out of no where, the last day of the window Lukaku pushed for a loan to Everton which Mourinho granted.
Figure 2: Lukaku with Mourinho in 2013, Courtesy Getty Images
Chelsea ended trophyless that season. Mourinho made a comment after the 1st leg of the Quarter Final game with PSG about his non-existent forward line while Lukaku scored 15 goals in the league even though he was injured for a while.
2014 was supposed to be Lukaku’s year, right? All three of Chelsea’s forwards were let go. Torres loaned to AC Milan, Etoo released and Demba Ba sold to Besiktas. But no Lukaku. Chelsea recruited three new forwards. Diego Costa joined from Atletico Madrid for £32m, Drogba rejoined for free and Loic Remy was bought as a 3rd choice forward. Lukaku tired of going out on loan joined Everton on a permanent transfer for £28m.
In the following years, he further developed his game. He scored more regularly with both feet, ran better with the ball, included more assists in his game. He also had that famous goal against Chelsea in an FA Cup game where he dribbled past two players and lashed a powerful strike across the goal to dump his old club out of the competition.
Chelsea didn’t do too bad. Diego Costa led the front line along with Hazard to two titles in three years and a Carling cup. In hindsight, Chelsea got Diego Costa for Lukaku + £4m. The same Lukaku who had never scored a goal for the club.
There was a telling moment in the corridors of Goodison park three years later in 2017 though where Chelsea won 3-0 thanks to an amazing Pedro goal. Michael Emenalo and Lukaku were having a conversation at the end of the game. It was common knowledge that Diego Costa was agitating to leave and Lukaku had developed enough to potentially lead Chelsea to new heights.
Chelsea, Antonio Conte and Michael Emenalo courted Lukaku in the summer of 2017, and everything seemed done for a £75m move back to his former club. At the 11th hour though, Manchester United offered Everton more money and Rooney for the player. Paul Pogba and Lukaku were seen together at Los Angeles as he went AWOL on Chelsea and joined the Red Devils.
Chelsea bought Morata, then Giroud, then Higuain, then Tammy Abraham took over. Giroud and Tammy were relative successes but Chelsea who have always played with a traditional robust No.9 have missed something up front ever since Costa left. They ended up winning the 2021 Champions league final playing with mobile false forwards in Werner and Havertz.
Figure 3: Chelsea won the Champions league in 2021, Courtesy Getty Images
Lukaku scored goals at Manchester United but was never deemed a success there. He moved to Inter Milan where he took his all-round game to another level becoming a leader in the team leading them to their first Serie A in 10 years ending Juventus’ dominance.
Present
Welcome to 2021 when Chelsea fans salivating about Erling Haaland all summer got Romelu Lukaku. Chelsea have paid top dollar for him as well shattering their previous transfer record with Kepa. So, what can we expect from him this season?
Goals, goals, more goals and some assists. There is so much creative talent in the forward line of Chelsea and Lukaku will be finishing all of those moves. It doesn’t stop there though. His build up play has improved now, and he is going to help players like Werner, Pulisic, and Havertz score more as well.
He is the big center forward that Chelsea have craved but let’s not pigeonhole him into just that. Famously in 2018 against Brazil, he switched to a wider forward role helping Belgium win the quarter finals with De Bruyne playing false 9. In one specific moment, he ran past Fernandinho like he didn’t exist before assisting De Bruyne showing various facets to his game.
Figure 4: Lukaku against Brazil, Courtesy Getty images
The present Lukaku is a poacher. He can head in crosses from Chilwell and Reece James, play cute inter plays with the technically gifted forward players, and run the channels if Chelsea play on the counter against teams like Manchester City. Chelsea will be expected to contest for the title in 2021-2022 and Lukaku will be expected to score 20-30 goals.
Future
Lukaku is at the peak of his game but in two to three years age will start creeping up on him. He already has ten years of football in him, and his speed will reduce. He will not have any resale value and Chelsea are not buying him with the hope of selling him for more later.
Expect Lukaku’s game to adapt in a few years more akin to Olivier Giroud has during his time at Chelsea. The pace to run behind may go away, but the awareness in the box to get into the right positions, the strength to win headers and finally the ability to involve others will still be there. In the future, Lukaku may not be a 20-goal striker, but he can still be a 10-goal impact substitute who comes on against tiring defenses to get late goals.
It could all go down hill though. He could hide in big games as he is accused of doing, not score against the big teams or in the big occasions, miss big chances and be a liability in a year. With transfers, there is always that risk. It’s a risk Chelsea are willing to take though with the potential reward of getting the final piece of the Tuchel puzzle. Yes, Chelsea just won the Champions league but that’s despite not having a proper center forward.
Chelsea and Lukaku have a long history and have crossed paths many times. Here is to hope for a bright future as well. Welcome home Rom.
Some interesting talk and a pleasure to be joined by Adam!
In another episode of The Chelsea Spot Podcast, Orlando (Host – @0rland1nho) and Paree (Owner – @CFCParee) were joined by special guest Adam Newson (@AdamNewson) who talked about our 2-0 victory against Everton with Havertz as false 9, Haaland in the Summer, does Christensen go to the bench when Silva returns, a look ahead at Leeds and SO much more!
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Make sure to check us out on all our social media platforms, including our website, Twitter, Instagram, Spotify, ITunes, Amazon Music, Google and Youtube.
Following on from an impressive win against Liverpool, it was now time for Merseyside to travel to London as Chelsea faced the blue half of the city with Everton coming to the Bridge. Everton started the evening in 5th place, just a single point behind Chelsea, with tonight’s game presenting Tuchel’s side an opportunity to establish a 4 point lead over their closest challengers. A defeat however, would have seen the club fall out of the top 4 and even fall as far as 6th if West Ham were able to beat Leeds later on in the evening.
The last time these two clubs met saw our visitors run out 1-0 victors through a Gylfi Sigurdsson penalty in a game that kickstarted the decline in performance and results that ultimately cost Frank Lampard his job. Less than 3 months on, Tuchel lead his side into the game looking to extent his unbeaten record as Chelsea manager to 11 games and build on their charge for a top 4 position.
Everton themselves were heading into the game in a good run of form, unbeaten in their last 9 away matches and inform Pickford looking to achieve his 4th clean sheet in a row for the first time in his career.
LINE UPS
Source: Google
Chelsea lined up in their expected 3-4-2-1 formation with two noticeable inclusions on either side of the pitch as Kurt Zouma returned to the left side of a 3 man defence against his old club and Kai Havertz getting a start in the false 9 position, flanked by Werner on his right and Hudson-Odoi given an opportunity on his favoured left. The frequently seen midfield under Tuchel of Kovacic and Jorginho got the nod in the centre with James and Alonso tasked with providing the width from wing back.
Everton matched up with a 3 at the back system of their own with Doucore and Bernard dropping out from their victory at West Brom with Allan and Sigurdsson, the latter having scored a penalty against Chelsea earlier in the season, taking their place.
FIRST HALF
Chelsea started the game on the front foot as they’ve done for the majority of games under Tuchel, with tidy possession in the centre of the pitch, moving the Everton midfield from side to side in an attempt to carve an opening against an Everton side full of energy and discipline. Perhaps inspired by the success they experienced at Anfield, there was clear intent to get the ball forward and behind the Everton defence quickly with Kovacic in particular playing a number of progressive passes for the pacey front 3.
Despite the tidy possession in open play, the first chance of the game came from a well worked corner routine which saw Alonso break out of the box and play a one-two with the corner taker James who cut the ball back to Timo Werner who had cleverly disguised a run to the edge of the box. The German’s finish didn’t match the subtly of his run as his first time effort sailed over Pickford’s bar and into the stands.
In the 15th minute, A powerful Reece James run starting deep from within his own half resulted in a blocked shot which won another early Chelsea corner. Following a defensive clearance from the Everton defence, the ball landed on the right foot of Jorginho’s whose first time volley skidded just outside of a rooted Pickford’s left post.
Chelsea’s movement in attack caused consistent problems for the Everton defence with Hudson-Odoi and Werner regularly switching flanks ahead of Havertz whose movement and intelligent use of the ball consistently created space within the Everton half. Chelsea’s attack was also boosted by the speed in which they turned defence into attack, helped in no small part by Christensen’s consistent ability to bypass the Everton midfield with brave passing through the lines. Everton looked to combat this by having their defenders tightly mark the player in possession, forcing them to receive the ball with their back to goal, however the combined pace, touch and intelligent movement from the front 3 meant that the Blues were able to retain possession more often than not.
Everton’s first chance of the game also came from a set piece when a desperate lunge from Jorginho caught Richarlison on the edge of box and gifted Everton’s array of free kick specialists an opportunity for a free strike at the Chelsea goal. Fortunately, Digne’s effort cannoned off the Chelsea wall for an Everton corner. The following corner caused a slight scramble in the Chelsea box before the Blues were able to clear the ball before any damage was done.
Chelsea finally made the breakthrough in the 30th minute as a smart turn from Hudson-Odoi, midway into the opposition half, caught the Everton defence off guard and opened an inviting gap inside the left hand side of the Everton box for Alonso to exploit. The English winger played a perfectly weighted pass into Alonso’s path, whose precise cut back found Kai Havertz. The German’s first time effort took a hefty deflection off Ben Godfrey before wrong footing Pickford and settling into the near post for an own goal.
Source:hdmatches.net
A second almost quickly followed as Marcos Alonso was played in behind the Everton defence down the left channel. Despite not possessing the pace to break free of the oncoming defender, the Spaniard positioned himself infront of Holgate and unleashed a left footed effort which forced a smart save from Pickford down at his near post.
SECOND HALF
Neither side opted to make personnel changes at half time but there was a clear instruction from Ancelotti to press higher up the pitch with Allan actively looking to close down Jorginho whenever the Italian was about to receive possession. In reaction to Everton’s increased press, Chelsea looked to exploit the space in behind with more regularity as Havertz continued to drop deep, creating space for the speedy Werner and Hudson-Odoi to exploit.
The first chance of note came from a Chelsea freekick on the right hand side of the Everton box. Tidy interplay between James and Havertz drew a foul from Lucas Digne who picked up a yellow card for his troubles. From the resulting free kick, Alonso attempted to catch Pickford off guard with a left footed drive towards the top right corner which forced a one handed save and won Chelsea yet another corner.
Chelsea thought they had a second in the 53rd minute as tidy play between Havertz and Kovacic saw the Croatian switch play out to Hudson-Odoi with space to utilise on the left. Hudson-Odoi clipped a delicate lob over the Everton defence which Kai Havertz expertly brought down before lashing it past Pickford into the far post. Celebrations were short lived as the linesman flagged for handball, a decision which VAR agreed with despite replays suggesting that contact may have been higher than the point of the arm which Werner was flagged offside for against Liverpool.
Source: hdmatches.net
The 60th minute saw Ancelotti make the first personnel change of the game with Tom Davies coming on in place of the ineffective Iwobi. This change also saw a shift to Ancelotti’s infamous diamond formation which many Chelsea fans will recognise from the Italian’s time in charge of the blues. The change almost immediately paid off as Everton instantly created their first chance from open play in an attempt to grab an equaliser. The high Evertonian press catching the Chelsea midfield off guard as a turn over in possession within the Chelsea half saw Sigurdsson play Richarlison in behind Zouma on the right of the Chelsea defence. Fortunately for the Blues, the Brazillians first touch and balance let him down as his effort soared comfortably wide of Mendy’s post.
The Everton ressurgence was short lived as Chelsea doubled their lead minutes later. Kovacic, not for the first time in the evening, played a ball over the top of the Everton defence which Kai Havertz latched on to. The German perfectly timed his touch around the onrushing Pickford, drawing the contact and leaving the referee with no choice but to point to the spot. Pickford’s reaction told the whole story and following a very quick VAR check, Jorginho stepped up to the spot with a hop, skip and a cool right footed finish to Pickford’s right to make it 2-0.
Chelsea’s first switch followed with the ever present Mason Mount coming on in place of Hudson Odoi. The player of the year candidate took up a deeper, more central role than the departing Hudson-Odoi with Werner and Havertz moving towards a more conventional front 2. Mount instantly looked to get involved with a couple of trademark turns, seamlessly turning defence into attack, however his final pass let him down on both occasions and the attacks broke down.
Source: hdmatches.net
With the game becoming stretch, Tuchel introduced Kante at the 80th minute in place of the excellent Kovacic. Immediately Chelsea looked to utilise the space behind a desperate Everton defence as Azpilicueta played a smart first time pass over the top. Werner did brilliantly to muscle Godfrey off the ball and position himself infront of Pickford, just outside the 6 yard box, however his left footed effort lacked the power or accuracy to beat the English keeper.
Werner then had an excellent opportunity to make instant amends as a quick Chelsea counter attack saw Werner played in behind by his compatriot Havertz. The German striker, on the left hand side of the box this time, looked to finish in the far post but Pickford saved with his trailing leg before getting to his feet quickly to save Kante’s folow up effort from the edge of the box.
Chelsea comfortably saw out the final minutes of the game, keeping possession within the Everton’s half and bypassing the Merseyside club’s press with ease with the final chance of the game falling to Mason Mount who unleashed a dangerous shot from 25 yards out which forced yet another save from the excellent Pickford.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This was yet another statement result and performance from Tuchel’s side as they opened up a 4 point gap over Everton with a favourable run of fixtures ahead of them. It would be easy to look at today’s result and assume Everton didn’t show up but the truth is that Chelsea were excellent from start to finish and gave their inform opposition nothing to work with. This was another example of Chelsea navigating a potentially very difficult fixture with a composed, assured performance that made it look far easier than it actually was.
Like previous performances under Tuchel, the defence were excellent and sniffed out danger instantly before comfortably playing out from the back with composed, considered possession. However, unlike some of the criticisms from previous performances, Chelsea’s attack looked far more dangerous than it had in recent weeks, looking to get in behind at every opportunity and utilising the pace and creativity of a very versatile front 3.
Tuchel has expertly navigated a run of exceptionally tricky games, putting Chelsea in a prime position to solidify their position in the top 4, especially with a run of seemingly favourable league fixtures ahead.
PLAYER RATINGS
Mendy (7) – Despite not having a lot to do, he dealt with the crosses superbly and never looked at risk of conceding. His commanding presence clearly installs confidence throughout the defence, especially when defending set pieces.
James (7) – Defensively solid whilst offering a constant threat going forward. A couple of driving runs that resulted in either a powerful shot or his trade mark whipped crosses gave Digne an evening he’ll want to forget.
Azpi (7) – Dependable as ever, comfortably dealt with Richarlison on the right and should have had an assist when his wonderful ball in the second half played Werner through
AC (9) – Continued his incredible run of recent form. Composed as ever in possession and showed a lot of bravery in his passing through the lines. Crucial interception in the 81st minute to stop a dangerous looking Everton counter.
Zouma (7) – His aerial ability was a huge asset in defence against a very physical Everton side, could have had a goal himself following a free header from a corner.
Alonso (7) – Wasn’t involved for large portions of the game with the majority of the play heading down the right but he still showed the threat he possesses with a couple of dangerous freekicks and one-on-one that forced a great save from Pickford.
Kovacic (8) [Sub OFF: 80 min] – Had an excellent game in the heart of midfield, showing the desire to play in behind the Everton defence at every opportunity. Progressed the ball expertly through the middle.
Jorginho (7) – Continued his run of good form with composed possession in the centre. Clearly instructed to not press higher by Tuchel which restricts the potential flaws of the Italian. Cool penalty finish to top off a tidy performance.
Hudson Odoi (7) [Sub OFF: 66 min] – Lively throughout the game and always looking to drive at the Everton defence. Did expertly for the first goal and was unlucky to not have a second for the disallowed Havertz strike.
Havertz (9) MOTM – At the heart of everything good about this Chelsea performance, hopefully the catalyst of his Chelsea career as his talents were on clear show. Unlucky to not have a goal himself but played a key role in both goals. Everton couldn’t handle his intelligent movement, first touch and deceptive pace.
Werner (7) [Sub OFF: 90 min] – A game that summed up Werner’s career in a Chelsea shirt so far, worked tirelessly and consistently made dangerous runs but the finishing wasn’t at the required standard. Missed a couple of one-on-ones which a player of his quality should be putting away.
Mount (6) [Sub ON: 66 min] – Busy as ever but his final pass let him down at the key moments.
Kante (7) [Sub ON: 80 min] – Couple of impressive recoveries high up the field which resulted in dangerous counter attacks. Everton scored an Ivanovic-esque header in the 92nd minute to confirm that there is really nothing he can’t do.
Pulisic (N/A) [Sub ON: 90 min] – Not enough time on the pitch to make an impact however impressively fell over his feet more times than he touched the ball.
Here we go again. Chelsea are back in action following one of the biggest victories of the season on Thursday night, as the Blues host former Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton at Stamford Bridge. The London side fought tooth and nail to defeat Liverpool, and now face their Merseyside neighbours in a pivotal encounter for both sides. Both Chelsea and Everton have their sights set on top four, and a win for either side could provide an all important boost to assist them in doing so. It’s a battle between 4th and 5th in South West London this evening.
The season so far:
Both sides have enjoyed a strong season thus far, and their league positions reinforce this. Chelsea’s win over Liverpool now means they are unbeaten in 11 games, 10 of those coming under Thomas Tuchel’s reign. Not only is the 11 game unbeaten run impressive on its own, but Chelsea have only conceded twice in those games. Twice. Thomas Tuchel has reignited a fire inside this Chelsea squad, and the Blues have shown no signs of slowing down.
As for their opponents, the Toffees are also in good form, securing three wins in their last three. Everton have also failed to lose an away game since November 1st, which could benefit Ancelotti’s side tonight. This doesn’t mean Chelsea are in trouble, however, as the Blues are on a six game unbeaten run at Stamford Bridge.
Some would argue that the blue half of Merseyside are more venomous this season, and Chelsea can validate this, after the Blues lost 1-0 at Goodison Park earlier in the season, thanks to a Gylfi Sigurdsson penalty. That being said, Chelsea have picked off some big names under Tuchel so far, and the German will hope this can continue tonight.
Player updates and news:
Thomas Tuchel has revealed that N’Golo Kante is still being preserved since returning from injury, and although he may start, he is unlikely to play 90 minutes. This could be a blow to Chelsea, as the Frenchman has been terrific as of late.
Thiago Silva could also be in contention to start his first game in over a month, after the Brazilian has been back in training recently. This would provide Chelsea a strong chance this evening, however, if the 36-year-old is not fully fit, the back three of Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta are more than up to the challenge, and the three have been reinvigorated under Tuchel.
Callum Hudson Odoi could also be in with a chance of starting, as the youngster missed out on any action against Liverpool on Thursday. Hudson Odoi has a point to prove as Thomas Tuchel has implemented a ruthless approach to his tactics, and the Englishman will hope he can show the boss what he can do.
As I said in the Liverpool preview, I would love for Havertz to start, but given the importance of the fixture in putting a gap between Chelsea and Everton, I don’t think it’s the perfect time to take the risk. Hopefully we will see a Havertz cameo later in the game.
I also struggled to leave Jorginho out of the side, as the Italian played his best game in a Chelsea shirt against Liverpool. The reason he didn’t make my XI is just because of the importance of N’Golo Kante and Mason Mount, who grabbed our all important match winner at Anfield. That being said, I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing Jorginho start this evening.
Tammy Abraham could also be in for a shout ahead of Olivier Giroud, but I’m unsure on whether he can provide the same impact as Oli against Everton’s strong, deep backline.
Players to watch:
Timo Werner: It is no secret that Timo hasn’t hit the heights that Chelsea fans expected, but nevertheless, the German has not had a bad season at all. With 19 goals/assists in all competitions, the 25-year-old has looked bright under Thomas Tuchel. Werner had a terrific performance against Liverpool, and also scored in our last game on a Monday against Newcastle. Werner could very well impress tonight, coming off the back of a solid performance at Anfield.
Richarlison: The Everton star has netted in each of the Toffees’ last four games, which makes him the player to watch for the away side this evening. Not only that, but Richarlison can change a game at any given time, The prolific forward has a darting pace that Azpilicueta may struggle to counter. Whether it is Reece James or Callum Hudson Odoi on that right flank, Azpi will need as much help as possible to keep the Brazilian at bay.
This fixture happens to be a year on from our last game inside a full Stamford Bridge. That game’s opponents? Everton. For the fans now watching from their living rooms, lets give them another win to cheer.
The Chelsea Spot 