In the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, Chelsea beat Lille 2-0 and Juventus 1-1 away to Villarreal, which was the same as I predicted before the game, Juve's draw was not accidental, fortunately the team returned home in the second leg and still had a chance of winning. Chelsea have a two-goal advantage in the first leg and a away challenge in the second leg, as there are still some uncertainties in the team's away games, but the draw will advance, and the Blues are expected to easily enter the next leg.
In this game, Chelsea only had Alonso and Kovacic rotating, and the manager sent the strongest squad, Alonso was able to get a starting opportunity in the Champions League because he assisted Ziyeh to kill Crystal Palace in the last game as a substitute. Kovacic came in order to give Jorginho a break and then play in the League Cup final against Liverpool, and the importance the manager attaches to the Champions League is obvious. Lukaku also did not appear in this game, which is also to prepare for the final of the cup, the offensive end of the team in this game has also been activated, compared with the game against other middle and lower teams, the offensive efficiency of this round of the Champions League is higher, the opportunities created by the players are more threatening, and the state of the core players has also improved, which is also helpful for the subsequent game against Liverpool.
Saul came in the 60th minute and his replacement of Ziyech was also preparing for the League Cup final, as the other two substitutions were made in the 80th minute, and Tuchel was ready. The game was scored in the 9th minute of the opening game, Ziyech could score a corner kick to assist Havertz's head hammer, Lukaku was not on the court, Havletz's scoring ability will be improved, which is also a hot point after the game. In the past, the low efficiency of Chelsea's front was also considered to be the improvement of the scoring ability of other players, and the tactical could not give the front-edge more support, so the inefficiency was also related to tactical play.
However, in this game, Tuchel did not give up the meaning of Lukaku, he let the striker rest also for the subsequent championship battle, as long as it can help the team win the championship Lukaku can win more support, from the process of the first few games, Lukaku's state has improved, and it may usher in an outbreak at any time. Alonso also had a chance to break in this game, and he almost made a difference by receiving a cross from Kante, which is also a player who can create a threat on the field, because many times there is too little player in the team to shoot with his feet. In this game, Chelsea's counter-attack opportunity was more threatening than Ziyech, and the failure to score again in the first half was also due to the opponent's counterattack and the strengthening of the defense.
Although this game is won, but there are also hidden worries, which is also caused by the fatigue of taking into account the five-line battle, after winning the Club World Cup is a league game, and there is a Champions League in the middle of this week, the players do not have much time to rest, so injuries will also appear like this. In the second half, Mateo Kovacic and Ziyech were also replaced because of some injuries, and the next game was also questionable, which was a disadvantage for the team, after all, the game against Liverpool was more difficult.
Chelsea's second goal was also the key to locking up the win, when N'Golo Kante snatched the ball all the way to the front and then passed to Pulisic, who picked out the goal and scored was also extremely wonderful, the two worked together seamlessly, and then it will become a scoring weapon for the team to be in a stalemate. In this game, Chelsea shot 9-15 on goal, shot 4-2, corner kicks 4-6, possession rate of 51% to 49%, although the data is relatively close, but the process of the game can see Chelsea's attack and defense more balanced, and there is a sense of ease.
Chelsea have won six consecutive games, scored 10 goals and conceded two goals, conceded only two games, and kept clean sheets in the last two games, which does show that the solidity of the defensive line at the beginning of the season has returned. Havertz scored 1 goal on 2 of 4 shots in this game, 3 passes, 2 clearances, and 23 passes with a success rate of 82.61%. Pulisic played 80 minutes of the game with only 1 shot on goal, in addition to 5 passes, 2 threatening passes, 2 steals, 2 fouls, 26 passes success rate of 88.46%, more comprehensive data, but also attracted the focus of the opponent, which can also create opportunities for teammates to attack.
Chelsea will next compete with Liverpool for the League Cup title, Klopp's team into 2022 to achieve a record of 8 wins and 1 draw, the last 8 consecutive wins, clean sheets opponents as many as 5 games, the offensive end of the state is good, so this battle is also a key test for Chelsea. The first meeting between the two teams this season is 1-1 handshakes, this final may also fight a penalty shootout, because the schedule is dense, and there are Champions League knockouts, so both teams should hope to decide the winner and loser in regular time, so the offensive end will not be too conservative, so this campaign is the efficiency of the offensive end, and Lukaku also has the opportunity to show his strength.