Chelsea 0-0 Sevilla: 5 Talking Points as two sides play out stalemate after a captivating encounter | UEFA Champions League 2020-21

Chelsea and Sevilla played out a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea and Sevilla played out a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge

#3 Lucas Ocampos rattled the Chelsea defense single-handedly

Chelsea's Reece James had a tough time against Lucas Ocampos
Chelsea's Reece James had a tough time against Lucas Ocampos

The battle of Lucas Ocampos and Reece James on the right-flank was the highlight of the game, and the same was expected when the team-sheets were out.

Both James and Ocampos were rested on the weekend by the respective managers, making it clear that the two players will play a pivotal role in the team's objectives on Tuesday night.

But the Argentine winger from Sevilla proved to be a class apart from not only his English counterpart, but any other player on the pitch.

A live-wire for the entirety of the 90 minutes, Ocampos caused a sense of panic amongst the Chelsea players and drew tactical fouls from Jorginho and Ben Chilwell that resulted in bookings for the pair. Additionally, drifted into the half-spaces between the center-back and full-back and created space for Marcos Acuna to make his overlapping run and cause chaos on the left-wing.

Overall, Ocampos was a live-wire on the pitch and kept Chelsea on their toes for most parts of the game.


#2 Changing fortunes at the back for the Blues

Chelsea's Thiago Silva and Kurt Zouma during a set-piece against Sevilla.
Chelsea's Thiago Silva and Kurt Zouma during a set-piece against Sevilla.

The French-speaking trio of Edouard Mendy, Kurt Zouma and Thiago Silva started their second game together on Tuesday night after their brilliant performance against Crystal Palace in the Premier League a few weeks ago. Another disciplined performance led to the trio spearheading Chelsea to another clean sheet against Sevilla on Tuesday night.

Defending issues have been on the list of concerns for Frank Lampard for a while now. Despite investing spending big-money this summer, the Londoners are still struggling to record clean sheets domestically.

But it seems that with Mendy in goal, and Silva partnering Zouma in central defense, Chelsea might have found the final piece of their defensive jigsaw. Sevilla showed flashes of brilliance upfront, but Chelsea could take encouragement from the fact that they prevented the Spanish side from scoring.


#1 Departures of key-players have not dampened Sevilla a bit

Kai Havertz of Chelsea runs with the ball with pressure from Marcos Acuna of Sevilla.
Kai Havertz of Chelsea runs with the ball with pressure from Marcos Acuna of Sevilla.

There was no shred of a doubt that the departures of left-back Sergio Reguilon and veteran midfielder Ever Banega would surely hurt the Sevilla camp massively.

Julen Lopetegui had taken his time to build his tactics around the Sevilla XI in which Banega and Reguilon were one of the first names on the team-sheet. His side also went unbeaten from mid-February till the end of last season, as they won their third Europa League title in six years a few months ago.

A gutsy performance in the UEFA Super Cup defeat against Bayern Munich and a spirited showing against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge has ensured that life has moved on pretty well for the La Liga outfit.

Ivan Rakitic has slotted in seamlessly in place of Banega, while Marcos Acuna looks to be filling in well in place of Reguilon. Sevilla are a well-oiled unit and could spring a surprise or two in the Champions League this season.

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Edited by Vishal Subramanian