New Chelsea manager Antonio Conte began life in England on a positive note, as his side eked out a hard-fought win over their West London rivals West Ham. The Hammers came into the game on the back of a humbling record at the Stamford Bridge, where they last won in September 2002 and were looking for a positive start. However, it was not to be as the side came up short in terms of quality against a Chelsea team that did not look in the best shape.
Eden Hazard began the proceedings at the Bridge, comfortably scoring the penalty that was awarded to his side after Michail Antonio had brought down Cesar Azpilicueta inside the West Ham box. While the Hammers did not look threatening for large durations of the game, they equalised via a James Collins goal after the Chelsea defence failed to clear a corner.
Chelsea had to wait until the 89th minute to kill the game as Michy Batshuayi brought down a long ball for his strike partner Diego Costa and the Spaniard put away the chance with a well-taken goal.
With the first round of the Premier League done and dusted now, let’s take a look at the 5 talking points of the game between Chelsea and West Ham.
1) Two strikers might be the way forward for the Chelsea
With Diego Costa and Michy Batshuayi at his disposal, new boss Antonio Conte has admitted that he could play with a 2 man strike force this season and we believe a move to partner Costa with the Belgian could reap rich rewards for the club. Both of them know where the back of the goal is and have showcased the ability to bring into other attackers into play and could very well complement each other’s skill sets.
Costa was largely isolated during the tie and looked increasingly frustrated as he endured a game where he made a number of mistakes in terms of passing, creating opportunities and decision making. However, he came to life as soon as Batshuayi was introduced on to the pitch, scoring the vital winner off the Belgian youngster’s lay off and if the short time they spent on the pitch together is any indication of their abilities, the duo could form a lethal partnership for the Blues.
2) Chelsea need to shore up their defensive resources
It comes as a surprise to many that the same backline that conceded a mere 32 goals in the 2014-15 season has struggled to keep a clean sheet at home. While they did not have a lot to do in the first half, the side’s defence was put under duress post the arrival of Dimitri Payet and subsequently conceded the goal that brought West Ham back into the game.
The inability of the side to deal with quality set pieces were on display again and a manager like Antonio Conte, who prides on setting up teams with defensive attributes, would be keen to bring in at least one more rock solid defender to the side.
The side has been reported to be actively pursuing a number of defenders across Europe and it would be wise of them to get the deals arranged at the earliest in order to avoid a last-minute complication.
3) Costa, Hazard and Matic are still far from their best
While the trio did play a vital role in their side’s win, they look far from their best and the Chelsea fans will be hoping that it’s the heavy legs and lack of match practice rather than an overall dip in their overall quality.
Costa had a bad night until the moment he found the back of the net and could have easily been sent off for a late lunge on Adrian. On the other hand, Hazard did get past the opposition with ease, he did not put in a peak performance. The third player in question, Nemanja Matic started the game on a weak note, misplacing a number of passes and looked off the pace. However, he grew as the game got on and finished it off on a decent note.
For Chelsea to truly become title contenders, the trio will need to find their best form as they largely represent the spine of the unit and their performances could make or break the season for the London club.
4) West Ham new boys fail to impress
The side fielded three new signings in the game, with Andre Ayew, Adam Tore and Havard Nordtveit making their competitive debut for the Hammers against Chelsea. However, none of them impressed us with their performances. While Ayew lasted a mere 34 minutes, Nordtveit proved to be a rather easy man to get past and Tore failed to take the chances that came his way after being brought in for Ayew.
West Ham have been hailed for their ability to bring in some quality players ever since Slaven Bilic took charge of the club. However, the performances of the trio would not have inspired a lot amongst the West Ham faithful.
With their roles in the sides largely determined at this stage of the season, the West Ham new boys need to adapt to newer surroundings or newer set of players to become a key member of the squad.
5) No Payet, no party
The French midfielder had been West Ham’s best player last season and carried the good form into the recently concluded Euros with his national team. However, given the extent of football he has played over the last 12 months, it was deemed too early to start him in the season opener, as a result of which West Ham suffered from a lack of creativity for a large duration of the game.
They failed to fully utilise the services of their big burly centre-forward Andy Carroll as he was largely restricted to defensive work. The side did not create a single chance in the first half and had to wait until Payet came onto the pitch in order to threaten the Chelsea back line.
The inability to find a suitable back-up option for Payet could work against Bilic and the side should actively add at least one more creative midfielder to its ranks.
