First off, what a brilliant result that was yesterday! With one hand already on the trophy, the confidence amongst players and supporters alike will surely be soaring ahead of Arsenal next week. Here are four talking points I found from yesterday’s match:
Mourinho Magic
Yesterday was nothing short of yet another tactical masterclass from José Mourinho. Many people will look at the statistics and say that Chelsea did not deserve to win this one, but I tend to look at the scoreboard. José even said after the match ‘We don’t care about stats, only points. They could have had ninety-nine percent possession, we don’t care.’ Most importantly, it’s a 1-0 win and another step toward the title. After all, Mourinho has said in the past that winning a game 1-0 is the easiest thing to do…
It was a defensive line-up from the start, with Zouma slotting next to Matić in the ‘middle of the pitch’. Kurt’s job for most of the match was to stick to Marouane Fellaini and allow him zero involvement. He often went overboard at times; following him around the midfield like a puppy with its owner. Jokes aside, what this did was take Fellaini and all of his physicality out of the game while leaving Matic to handle the rest of the defensive-midfield duties. Chelsea defended immensely well and were comfortable in letting United have the ball.
Mourinho instructed his attackers to press high and anticipate errors. With a United back four consisting of Valencia, Smalling, McNair, and Shaw it was a good idea. Manchester United’s injury plagued defence looked very nervy at times and there were quite a few dodgy back passes. Chelsea pressed when they could, and the plan was to spring on the counterattack whenever they managed to nick the ball in a good position. Exactly that is what lead to the lone goal of the match when John Terry was able to disrupt a United pass. Fabregas sent it to Oscar, and one backheel later Chelsea were in front through the legs of POTY nominee David De Gea and into the back of the net. The rest of the match was tough, but Chelsea defended calmly and kept United at bay.
Kurt Zouma is a Tank
Kurt Zouma was brilliant yesterday, and while I think that everyone put in a good performance, the Frenchman stood out. His strength and jumping ability are admirable, and his aggression makes him a force to be reckoned with on the pitch. Zouma completely took Fellaini out of the game and that certainly had an effect on the outcome of the match. He gave everything for Chelsea yesterday, and in the last ten minutes it was clear to see how exhausted he was. Now, here’s an interesting question: Zouma is a centre back by trade, and without a doubt he’s done very well there this season when given a chance, but could his future lie in defensive midfield? He is tough, a ball-winner, and great in the air. Zouma looked good next to Matić today, and it’ll be fun to see how he develops and what role he’ll play for us next season.
One-Goal Wins
Simply put, the Blues haven’t been in the greatest form of late. Chelsea have been grinding out results, but that’s what you have to do in order to be champions. A late Remy goal at Hull, another against Stoke after an error from the goalkeeper, and an 88th minute winner at Loftus Road from Fàbregas have all narrowly made the difference from Chelsea snatching all three points and having to settle with just one. Yesterday’s result was a bit different though. Mourinho is known for tactically knowing how to set his team up to win big games, and that’s what happened on Saturday. On paper, maybe Chelsea didn’t deserve to barely win by a goal to nil. Maybe Manchester United were unlucky. But in truth, every man wearing a blue shirt yesterday put in an immense performance, Mourinho got his tactics spot on, and Chelsea have the three points.
Clinching the Title Early is Most Definitely a Possibility
If Chelsea win their next two matches, the title is theirs with still a little less than a month of football left. An in-form Manchester United at home was always going to be a tough match, it was always going to be a big test, but it was one that Chelsea passed (as they’ve done all season). Now that’s over with, and we shift our attention to the next fixture: Arsenal away. It’ll have nothing to do with the title race, because after yesterday that’s just about done and dusted. But, it’ll have huge implications on the other three Champions League spots. Either way, it is such a massive fixture in the English capital. Whether Chelsea need to win it or not, they will most certainly want to. Three points at Arsenal will prolong the Blues’ bragging rights amongst their London rivals and will mean that just one more win seals the Premier League title. If that happens, Chelsea are still in for a tough ninety minutes; Leicester City have been in super form, are fighting for their first division lives, and will have home field advantage. While mathematically clinching the title early is possible for Chelsea, their next two fixtures will make it tough. The first test was yesterday though, and we’ve passed. One thing’s for sure – next week’s London derby is going to be one hell of a fixture.
