Listed below are phrases I don’t get to sort fairly often: I’ve nothing to be destructive about relating to Chelsea this weekend.
Some readers of The Athletic, or common listeners to the Straight Outta Cobham podcast, may regard this as a collector’s merchandise. Maybe mark the second down on a bit of paper so you may keep in mind it for posterity and even as a memento of the 2024-25 season? A doable ‘You need to see it to consider it’ second.
Once you report on a membership like Chelsea, there’s loads of alternative to criticise and spotlight the place issues are going flawed. For the reason that Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium purchased the membership in Might 2022, there have been extra unhealthy moments than good, extra drama than stability.
If you need to write about plenty of doom and gloom, it will probably have an effect on how you might be perceived. Let’s simply say this author is totally conscious of how he’s thought to be a tad pessimistic, some may say depressing.
Let me present just a few arguments in my defence.
It’s what naturally occurs when your fiftieth birthday is on the horizon. I want to suppose it’s extra a case of being sincere and reasonable, having lined the membership for greater than 20 years. A reporter’s job is to not be confused with appearing as a cheerleader and turning a blind eye to the unhealthy stuff.
Anyway, brace your self as I try and go a complete piece and not using a single grumble, a caveat or a ‘however’.
Let’s get to the purpose… or ought to I say all three of them.
Chelsea’s 3-0 win towards West Ham on the London Stadium on Saturday was simply the type of serene day everybody related to the membership was in search of, and wanted. It was a type of uncommon moan-free video games among the many Chelsea contingent within the crowd. There was not a tut or groan to be heard.
Going into this fixture, Chelsea had gained simply as soon as at West Ham in seven visits, so it could have been comprehensible if individuals had been just a little apprehensive. The climate forecast warned of thunderstorms and heavy rain as effectively. However as an alternative late-summer sunshine lit up Chelsea’s show all through.
It helped that West Ham gave Nicolas Jackson the liberty of east London to attain the opening objective after 4 minutes. Goalkeeper Alphonse Areola additionally left a niche between his legs virtually as extensive because the close by Dartford Tunnel, which permits street visitors to cross underneath the River Thames, for him to knock the ball by.
Jackson scoring Chelsea’s opener (Henry Browne/Getty Photos)
Jackson had his second 14 minutes later. The type of soccer Chelsea employed head coach Enzo Maresca this summer time to offer was on present as a neat transfer ended with Moises Caicedo, a participant fewer and fewer mock in regards to the £115million ($153m on the present change charge) price ticket that introduced him to the membership 13 months in the past, taking part in in Jackson to double the lead.
The Senegal worldwide striker’s show offered extra proof the membership now have a €35million (£29.3m/$39.1m at present charges) discount on their fingers following his arrival in that very same summer time 2023 window. After establishing Cole Palmer to make it 3-0 shortly after half-time, Jackson has 23 objective involvements (16 targets, seven assists) in his previous 29 Premier League begins, and 11 (eight targets, three assists) in 10.
There within the posh seats to see it had been Chelsea’s co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali. You needed to verify the monitor within the press field just a few occasions to consider it. They weren’t simply on the identical recreation, a rarity up to now 12 months, however truly sitting subsequent to one another. The picture was extraordinary, given it’s simply two weeks since information of their ‘palpable discord’ — because of Chelsea’s former technical director Michael Emenalo for that gem of a quote to sum up a significant divide when he was interviewed in regards to the membership’s resolution to sack Jose Mourinho in 2015 — got here to gentle.
Among the footage caught on digital camera didn’t replicate the warmest rapport between the 2. Different images did seize them showing to change just a few phrases a minimum of. One confirmed Eghbali holding a small little bit of paper. A cheque to purchase out Boehly’s stake? No, it was simply his match ticket.
So had been they counting down the minutes to the ultimate whistle so they might get away from any awkwardness and one another as quick as doable? Nope. When the match was over, the influential duo headed right down to the away dressing room. “They had been within the altering room, they had been all pleased,” Maresca mentioned. “It’s at all times good after we win video games for them. As you mentioned, as a result of they had been each right here, we may give them some good moments.”
Boehly, left, and Egbhali sat subsequent to one another on the London Stadium and later visited the Chelsea dressing room (Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Photos)
If being collectively like this will get this sort of end result then, as an alternative of divorcing, ought to they hang around collectively extra usually? Why go their separate methods simply when all their efforts are beginning to bear fruit?
Cautious, Simon, you’re in peril of wandering off upbeat mode right here.
OK. Listed below are some handsome stats to stay on message:
- Maresca is the primary supervisor or head coach to win his first three Premier League away video games at a membership since Pep Guardiola did it with Manchester Metropolis in 2016.
- For the reason that begin of Might, Chelsea have gained extra Premier League factors than some other membership (25 — performed 10, gained eight, drawn one) — though they’ve performed two extra video games than Metropolis (24; performed eight, gained eight) in that point, and three greater than Arsenal (19; performed seven, gained six, drawn one).
- Chelsea have scored 10 occasions of their three away league video games this season. This determine is simply bettered in membership historical past by their 1925-26 facet, who bought 13 in the identical interval. And with 11 targets in complete, they’re the division’s joint prime scorers with champions Metropolis (earlier than their recreation towards Arsenal on Sunday).
- Since Palmer made his Chelsea debut final September, solely Metropolis’s Erling Haaland (44) has extra targets for a Premier League membership in all competitions than his 27.
Oh and to complete off, a once-porous defence has saved back-to-back clear sheets within the league, following final Saturday’s 1-0 away win towards Bournemouth.
OK, that’s sufficient positivity for one article. I must go for a lie-down.
GO DEEPER
What’s the true worth of a Premier League objective?
(Prime picture: Adrian Dennis/AFP by way of Getty Photos)
