In the fourth round of the League Cup, Chelsea defeated Wolves 4-3 away from home. Andre Santos, George, Esteban and Gittens each scored a goal, and Delap was red. "The Athletic" analyzed the Blues' performance after the game. There ar...
In the fourth round of the League Cup, Chelsea defeated Wolves 4-3 away from home. Andre Santos, George, Esteban and Gittens each scored a goal, and Delap was red. "The Athletic" analyzed the Blues' performance after the game.
There are still weaknesses in the defense
Compared to the league loss to Sunderland last weekend, Chelsea made 10 personnel rotations. Despite taking a comfortable three-goal lead in the first half, the Blues' defensive weaknesses were exposed in the second half. However, it was Chelsea's own mistakes that made the game tense, such as misplaced passes from the back and hesitation on the ball.
While Maresca's side once again showed depth in attack, their vulnerability to set-piece defense and the risk of making fatal mistakes remains a concern.
In addition, Chelsea has used 7 different central defender combinations this season. Will lack of stability also become a problem? Although the team's injury situation does make it difficult for Maresca, he must find a stable solution.
Gittens performed well in the rotation
One goal and two assists. This is Gittens' most convincing performance so far, and he finally opened his Blues career assist account. He provided assists for Santos and George respectively. Granted, the Wolves' defense is loosely organized.
In particular, Gittens's world-beating goal at the last minute became the best of Chelsea's four goals today.
Andre Santos' confident night
Despite Wolves' limited strength, Santos was one of the main factors in the Blues' comfortable lead in the first half, and he was full of energy in the midfield. There are no small expectations on Santos' shoulders. Chelsea rejected the interest of many European giants and insisted on using him this season.
It is not easy to gain a foothold at Chelsea. Until this game, his performance did not have many highlights. Injury problems and competition with players such as Caicedo and Enzo require Santos time to adapt to the rhythm of the Premier League. His short loan at Nottingham Forest last season failed to provide much experience.
But with the recent injuries of Caicedo and Enzo, Santos' performance proved that he can be trusted, which is what Maresca hopes to see. However, in the second half, Wolves upped the tempo and Santos seemed not ready to deal with it, which is an area he needs to improve on.
Drap's comeback battle did not go smoothly
This was Delap's first appearance after a hamstring injury. He came on as a substitute in the 60th minute, but received a yellow card in the 79th minute. In the 86th minute, Delap elbowed Agbadu in the face and was sent off with a red card. Therefore, he only played 25 minutes in this comeback battle.
Delap will also miss Saturday's crucial Premier League game against Tottenham. He was very frustrated when he left the field, but he only has himself to blame.
After the game, Maresca said of Delap: "A red card like today is very embarrassing because he got two yellow cards in 7 minutes. We can avoid this situation, which is not a good phenomenon.
"After Delap got the first yellow card, I told him four or five times to stay calm. Delap can play by himself at times, making it difficult for him to be aware of his surroundings and follow advice. "
