Chelsea 2-2 West Bromwich Albion: Juan Mata brings some late sharpness to Chelsea attack
Jose Mourinho's side snatched a late point at home as his former assistant's side gave the Londoners a run for their money.
Chelsea started the game on the back of a defeat to Newcastle United a week ago there by making today's points all the more crucial. Their current rivals for the top spot, Arsenal, do not play until tomorrow which is why there was an opportunity for the Stamford Bridge side to close the gap to just two points.
The former Real Madrid coach opted for Oscar yet again in the role behind the striker alongside Willian and Eden Hazard on the wings. Samuel Eto'o was given the nod ahead of Demba Ba, while Fernando Torres faces a period on the sidelines due to an injury. Oscar had been incredibly reliable in the role this season, replacing fan favorite Juan Mata, who had made the role his own in the past two seasons.
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| Mourinho needs to rotate the two playmakers as both will prove crucial to Chelsea's chances this term |
However, today's game against the Baggies might have given Mourinho clues to rotate the Spaniard and the Brazilian in the role given that the former Internacional midfielder looked a tad worn out. The combination play in between the lines from the Brazilian was just about upto the mark in the first half, which is why his side looked lackluster going in the attacking third.
Fellow Brazilian Willian and Hazard had their moments in the first half, but it was just not enough for the Londoners to trouble the Baggies' defense on a consistent basis. Cameroonian Eto'o, on the other hand was a handful, drifting out wide on both sides to drag their opponents' center backs out of position making it a 4-3-3 while going forward. The midfielders consistently exchanged wings, with a rather bad day for Lampard forcing Oscar to come deep to fetch the ball. His distribution was decent on the day, but a lack of some incisive play along with fellow attackers made up for a below par display.
Samuel Eto'o has continued his goal scoring form alongside combining well with the midfielders
The smooth transitions between Eto'o and both the wingers, who tend to drift inside, gave Chelsea the only variation going forward which led to the first goal when Eto'o sneaked in a rebound from a Hazard shot. A lack of width was certainly affecting Chelsea, as both Branislav Ivanovic and Cesar Azipilicueta were supporting attacks cautiously. The lack of cohesion was definitely visible, but that should not be an excuse for a side three months into the season and challenging for trophies on multiple fronts.
The second half began with West Brom reacting to the last minute goal conceded before the break with some decent link up targeting Shane Long upfront. Mourinho had, as always, emphasized on pressing the opponents well to gain back possession of the ball, which the players did, but as the game went on, it was one of the reasons the players lost energy soon. Sensing the vulnerability, Clarke's side stepped up their efforts through the aerial route and were duly rewarded when the Londoners cracked under the pressure. They had hardly been reacting well to aerial challenges being posted by their opponents and Clarke exploited it well by capitalizing on the set pieces they got.
Lampard will need to put in better performances than today to guide this young Chelsea side
The tactical shifts made by Mourinho thereafter made up for an interesting watch for the last half an hour, with Demba Ba coming on to deploy a 4-4-2 system. Ba paired Eto'o upfront while Oscar dropped deep to replace Lampard. The ploy just deepened, as West Brom continued to test Chelsea's resolve.
The move flattered to deceive as the home side committed a man too many in attack, leaving Ridgewell to assist Sessegnon who skipped past a slow Terry to score. The Benin star still had to finish smartly after getting past Terry, but a Cech error allowed his shot into the back of the net. Clarke's side led, and this was a sign for some more instability as Mourinho shifted his side to a rather rarely deployed 3-5-2 with Juan Mata and Obi Mikel replacing Oscar and Azipilicueta respectively.
Willian and Hazard need to be more responsible to cement their places ahead of Schurrle and Juan Mata
The Spaniard had 17 minutes to make an impact and he certainly did that with quick and accurate passing, something which Chelsea missed all day. His passes offered penetration beyond their opponent's defense and had he been brought on earlier, his side surely must have fared better. The control which he brought to the side was the need of the hour as Chelsea fought to avoid an end to Mourinho's run of 65 league games without defeat.
They did earn a point in the end to maintain that run with the help of an Hazard penalty, but not without further questions on their ability to adapt to different situations and still grind out those crucial victories. Their coordination and gelling needs to improve with Juan Mata certainly one of the men who their Portuegese manager needs to rely on.
By,
Aman Arora
Aman writes for Goal India and 18YB
Discuss with the author at @aman_ghs on Twitter
