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The first international break of the new season finally concluded as the players returned to their respective clubs. Premier League's game week five resumed on Saturday with Tottenham and Liverpool taking on each other in the first game as early kickoff.
Chelsea looked to continue their perfect start to the season and make it five wins in a row as they welcomed Cardiff City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, September 15. Chelsea along with Liverpool and Watford were the only teams left with a 100% record in the premier league. In the early kickoff, Liverpool had already made it five wins in a row by beating Tottenham and pressure was on Chelsea to keep pace with the Merseyside club.
Cardiff City did not have the best of starts to the season and were yet to register a single win in the league. Neil Warnock, Cardiff City head coach hinted in the pre-match press conference that contrary to their style of play and their team's reputation as a defensive force, they would look to attack the West London side on their own turf which raised a few eyebrows. Maurizio Sarri, on the other hand, was looking to capitalize on the good start to his reign at Chelsea with another comfortable win as Chelsea await a congested schedule in September and a win would give the Blues good momentum to see through the next phase of the season.
The major talking point for Chelsea was the exclusion of Alvaro Morata from the starting lineup and being replaced by French striker Olivier Giroud. The French striker repaid Sarri's faith with an impressive display.
The second half saw Chelsea score another couple of goals with Eden Hazard completed his hattrick by scoring an 80th-minute penalty and Willian rounded up the scoring with a sensational curler within three minutes of the previous goal. Second half substitutes Ross Barkley and Willian looked sharp and Davide Zappacosta also made an appearance off the bench. Overall it was a comfortable 4-1 win for the Blues and Chelsea continue a stellar start to life under their new Italian manager Maurizio Sarri.
Four talking points from the match ahead:
1) The striker situation
Alvaro Morata was widely expected to start the season as the number one striker as Maurizio Sarri's teams often featured strikers with an ability to run in behind and having great poaching instincts. However, the Spaniard could not hold on to the starting spot as it looks like he still has not been able to shake off last season's problems. The former Real Madrid did not even get a look in from the bench and it's a worrying time for and Chelsea's thinktank will be hoping for a good response from him as he hasn't played a single minute since the international break, unable to even get a minute for Spain national team.
Olivier Giroud, on the other hand, was not seen as a profile of player that Sarri uses but his decision to give the Frenchman a start paid dividends. Giroud's link-up play with Eden Hazard was a joy to watch and the French striker played a major role in both of the Belgian's goals in the first half. Giroud picked up where he left off in the second half as he linked up with the attackers and was impressive defensively. As a traditional target man striker, surprisingly, his inclusion suddenly made Chelsea's attack look much more fluid as compared to Chelsea's first four premier league games. The only thing missing from him was a goal which he will surely get in the coming games given the way Chelsea are playing.
2) Mateo Kovacic
Chelsea's summer loan signing has impressed ever since his debut against Arsenal. The Croatian has slotted in seamlessly on the left side of the midfield three, combining with Eden Hazard and Marcos Alonso. There might be a possibility that the loan arrangement could be made permanent at the end of the season, however, the discussion is still premature.
Mateo Kovacic looks like he is tailormade for the Premier League. He brings a creative spark along with his neat dribbling skills which serve him well against packed defenses and there is certainly no dearth of that in the Premier League. More impressive is the fact that he is equally solid defensively and that is the reason that he complements Jorginho and Kante perfectly in the midfield three. The fun has only just begun. Unfortunately, he was substituted at halftime due to a knock he picked up early in the game, one can only hope that the injury does not cause a long layoff.
A bigger question surrounds his direct competitors for the place. Ross Barkley looked tidy but unspectacular and Ruben Loftus-Cheek still needs some tactical discipline before Sarri can trust him- which was reiterated by both player and manager recently in the media. Anyhow, it should be said that midfield looks like the least worrying part of Chelsea's squad currently with Drinkwater and Ethan Ampadu also waiting in the wings
3) A settled defense
After the early jitters in the game, the back four grew into the game with time. The center back pairing of David Luiz and Antonio Rudiger looks settled. Both the defenders complement the system perfectly. The pair boasts of accomplished ball playing skills, are unfazed the most physical of threats and most importantly possess the pace to play a high defensive line in the system.
Marcos Alonso looks at home more than ever he's ever been in a Chelsea shirt as he opened the season in scintillating attacking form and also earned his first international call-up to Spain this international break in Uefa Nations League. His fellow countryman Cesar Azplicueta has also built upon his early season performances as he adapts to his right back role after playing on left back and center for a major part of his Chelsea career so far. The Spaniard looked much better offensively and looked reliable as always defensively.
Chelsea did have initial defensive jitters early in the season but now the defensive shape looks much better as gets accustomed to defending together as a team overall.
4) Eden Hazard
One can run out of words praising the magical Belgian. There is a new found ruthlessness about Hazard this season which was evident even in his impressive World Cup campaign. The Belgian has registered four goals and two assists so far in the Premier League. Hazard cruised to a hattrick as he scored a second-half penalty past a hapless Cardiff city.
Eden Hazard is playing with a manager known for playing attacking football for the first time in his Chelsea career and he is enjoying life under his new coach. Moreover, this new-look Chelsea side is built around him and there is every chance that we get to witness a special season from the diminutive winger. Expect the Belgian to be at least in the Balon d'Or reckoning at the end of the season.
(Note- You can follow the author for all match reviews for Chelsea this season. Further, look into his profile here for all the recent Chelsea related articles - Deepanshu Sharma)
