The first leg of the double-legged round of sixteen UEFA champions league tie between holders Chelsea and French league champions went down on Tuesday under the floodlights in Stamford Bridge.The game which saw the blues play their first Champions league match since being crowned world champions started off with the holders showing great desire and willingness to fight for every lose ball.
The intensity with which the blues started the match ensured they fashioned great goal scoring opportunities with Kai Harvertz being right in the thick of the action. The German attacker was guilty of missing from close range when captain Azpilicueta found him with a brilliant low cross only for him to sky the ball with the keeper alone between himself and the goal. Kai didn’t let his head down and kept on with his movements into the channels mostly proving difficult to track by Lille’s central defenders (Fonte and Botman) and another chance came his way down the right with his close control aiding his ability to strike the ball with his sweet left foot only for the goalkeeper, Jardim to palm around the post for a corner to Chelsea.
The resulting corner was taken by Chelsea’s most in-form player Ziyech and Kai brilliantly evaded his marker and powered home to give Chelsea the lead. Much of the match afterwards was a ding-dong affair as Lille tried to get back into the game only for Chelsea to strike again on the 63rd minute after a lung-bursting run from deep by N’golo Kante who then calmly laid the ball for Christian Pulisic to put Chelsea firmly ahead in the tie.
Here are 5 things we learned from the game
Thiago remains a solid foundation
Evergreen Brazilian defender, Thiago Silva once again proved how integral he his to this Chelsea team with an impeccable performance. The ex-PSG star started the game in his usual position, playing in the center of a back three and being the last defender at all times. His position in the central of the back three meant he had to track runners whenever there was a sharp turn that lost the wide defenders and wing backs and Thiago showed how brilliant of a professional he his with his fast thinking and quick reading of danger often bailing Chelsea out of trouble. On multiple occasions, the Brazilian defender was had to run across both sides of the pitch to snuff out danger. To further showcase how brilliantly he read the game, Thiago regained possession 12 times and that is the most he’s ever recorded since he made his debut in the Champions league 94 games ago.Age is no barrier for Thiago!
Kante owns the Champions League
World Cup winner, N’golo Kante showed brightly once again in the Champions League with a dominant display in the middle of the park. In recent times, Kante’s best performances have been in the Champions League and he once again showed just how much he loves the Champions League.Against Lille, Kante was awarded the man of the match after another busy day at the middle of the park. Kante also provided the assist for Pulisic for Chelsea’s second of the night.N’golo loves the Champions League!
Absence of Jorgi makes us struggle to play out from the back
The decision to match Lille’s industry in the midfield meant Tuchel went for Kovaciç and Kante as the double pivot.That move ensured Jorginho sat out the match and his absence was felt in the transitional phases. After the goal in the 8th minute, the French Champions applied enough pressure to get back in the game and could have done so if it weren’t for the lack of precision and composure in the attacking line of the French team. Last night at the bridge saw the French outfit apply triggers for their press and Belgium youngster, Onana and Jonathan Bamba acted as the main actors in applying the first press. Without Jorginho in the team, Chelsea struggled to beat the press and hopeful long balls were launched into the opponent’s half which resulted in steady turnovers. On occasions, the defenders had no options in the midfield to play the ball to and there were little or no rotation in midfield which meant it was difficult to find passing angles. With Jorginho in the team, he creates viable passing angles and his connection with Thiago Silva often leads to a smooth transition from the defence to the midfield.Jorginho is still important to the Chelsea cause!
Chelsea getting physically at par with opponents
In recent times, the few teams that have ruffled the feathers of Chelsea have been teams that are not scared of getting really physical. Teams who have faced Thomas Tuchel’s side with intensity and aggression have often found Chelsea to be a little featherweight especially in the attacking areas with the exception of Lukaku often living up to the physical fight. Last night at the Bridge saw Lille adopt that exact same tactic but were a little surprised at the amount of fight they came up with from players like Harvertz, Ziyech and Christensen.Unlike in the games against Brighton, Leeds, West Ham and Zenit, Chelsea were up for the task and dug in to secure the victory. Tuchel in his pre match conference already stated that he and his players were expecting a physical game especially in the attacking third of the French team. In this match against Lille, Chelsea’s mental and physical toughness came to par with the opponent and the result is one foot in the quarter final. The hustler’s spirit finally spread around by Rudiger!
King Kai the man for the big occasions
German gem, Kai Harvertz has recently developed a knack of showing up when it matters most. In the Champions League final last season, Kai emerged with the winning strike and continued that form of being extremely influential when the stakes are at the highest with his penalty against Palmeiras in the final of the club World Cup in Abu Dhabi.Against Lille, Kai started off as the arrow head and his steady movement and runs meant the center back pairing of the French Champions (Botman and Fonte) were kept busy all through. Kai’s major strength being his fluid movement and composure in the most crucial of moments means he stands in very good stead of finally being the solution to Chelsea’s quest for a new reliable striker. It remains only a matter of time before Kai finally stakes a major claim on the striker’s position in Tuchel’s team.
Man of the match: Kante 9/10
