CHELSEA 3-0 LUTON
Chelsea goals: Sterling (17', 68'), Jackson (75')
Best players: Sterling, Jackson, Enzo, Gallagher, Caidedo, Gusto
Worst players: (at a stretch, if I had to name anyone..) Disasi
First win!
And a pretty comfortable 3-0 victory, with a first goal for Nic Jackson and a first clean sheet for Rob Sanchez (albeit against Luton), but still.
I think games like this are a really good way to build up some confidence playing the new system, and we had our first real look at Caicedo in the midfield, who had a few wobbles but looked solid on the whole and you get the idea he will only improve.
There was no Lavia in the squad - I suspect he still may not be ready (don't want to rush him out like Caicedo) but I'd expect him to feature in the EFL Cup game against Wimbledon in midweek.
We seemingly bossed possesion and chances created, and aside from a few slips, particularly at the start of the second half, our play was very comfortable
With Carney now injured it was Enzo that took up his role in our 3ATB system, almost as a LF, which left Gallagher dropping back more often. Though in attack Caidedo acted as the lone pivot and Gallagher pushed up alongside Enzo to provide support in attack.
I think a lot of people compare Caicedo and Kante, and in truth they operate differently. Kante was rapid and could run forever, closing down the ball and intercepting. Caicedo is more static but is good with his positioning to stand and intercept. He mostly operated just in front of the back 3 in buildup and was great as a passing option or to switch the ball.
I'm continuing to enjoy Gallagher in the team (I think Pochettino is, too).
Highlights of this team are clearly the resurgence of Raheem Sterling, who is undoubetly one of our best performers at the moment. Carrying on his form from West Ham he opened the scoring with a wonderful goal, one that made me audibly exclaim 'What?'. I wrote in my notes 'Hazard-esque' as it did look reminiscent of a goal the Belgian winger may have scored for us.
I do think it's maybe the case that the number 7 shirt at Chelsea just radiates magical energy, though, it's likely the case that Poch is fnally implementing Sterling into his favoured role and giving him freedom to dribble into dangerous areas. He's also got that confidence and drive to take shots on and create chances - definitely major props to him as I wasn't convinced of his playstyle in pre-season and I think a lot of Chelsea fans wanted us to cash in.
Jackson is still raw, in terms of buildup and acting as a springboard for our other attackers, and after several chances coming his way he didn't net his goal until deep in the second half, but he is still continuing to impress, and Poch clearly has high praise, saying he can 'become one of the greatest strikers in league history'.
I think Disasi still can improve as well, again with his positioning and reaction times as I've noticed teams often play down the left and leave Disasi chasing behind or relying on other players to come across and support. We're somewhat short in the RCB department at the moment given Fofana's longer term injury and Chalobah still not fully fit, but I wonder if Poch will try the latter out there when he's back in contention.
Colwill is improving more and more and had some utterly ridiculous passes this game. I think he'll help so much in terms of ball progression and passing into central areas or finding runners further up.
Sanchez seems to be settling well, a clean sheet is always nice, though he didn't have much to do for a lot of the game. I still think he'll eventually be dropped in favour of the incoming Petrovic, but it's always good to give him some confidence.
I feel like we've finally gotten the ball running and I think the next few games will help us pick up some good points.