Havertz could have easily had a hat-trick, as two scrumptious balls over the top from Kenedy found him past their back line with only the Daniel Bachmann to beat. And on finishing, there is a high probability that our slow and possession-oriented game has created a hesitancy from some players to take on shots unless the ideal circumstances present themselves.

He was denied on one with a decent save from close range while the other came off the crossbar. The average player positions show two things - that we were very regimented and rigid in our formation (I have never seen a lineup/player positions map mirror one another so closely) and that Watford were heavily concentrated on their left due to our propensity to attack down the right. Reece James would have technically been the right sided defender if it was a 4, but he was still making lung-busting runs the length of the pitch. Ascendancy. The next change would be made in order to give Antonio Rdiger a proper send off, as well as to shift Sarr into a more defensive position and get another offensive presence on the pitch. In addition, both players who had decent first halves in Kenedy and Sal, fell off a cliff as far as form is concerned in the second half. While he was having success down his flank, on this occasion he would switch the ball through the back and take the ball to the opposite flank with Ziyech and James working some tidy passes and forcing their back line to shift, all while now leaving Kenedy open on the opposite flank.

Chilwells presence on the field was immediately noticeable - our wingbacks showing just why they were so important to our success earlier this season. We were dominant in possession all game, but our chances dried up rather remarkably in the second half. That almost certainly is why Havertz was preferred to Lukaku, so that we would have more fluidity in our movements and interchanges up top to break up their marking. It was also affording more space on our left flank, and Kenedy was playing very direct and with speed, something that has been missing from our attack at times this season. Curling with the outside of his boot, James notices both that Barkley and Chilwell himself were wide open at the back post. For the ultimate game of the season, both Watford and Chelsea had very little but pride for which to play. Our defensive structure broke down because it seemed like we werent sure whether we were playing with a back 3 or a back 4 after Sarr had shifted. Mount does incredibly well when he is given license to roam centrally and play almost as a no. These quick switches of play in attack have reaped benefits all season long - it played a part in why Reece James and Ben Chilwell were so effective in the beginning of the season. It was nice to see him contributing greatly to our offensive output. While the former was true, it seems likely that the academy had already been dismissed for holiday prior to this game, as none were even on the bench. We were also getting caught on the ball far too often and Watfords breaks thereafter, especially those coming down their right side, were giving them the impetus they needed to eventually get their goal. Chilwell spent nearly his entire substitute appearance camped in the oppositions box and our offensive thrust was improved for the final minutes.

They were dueling for the ball much higher up the pitch and were putting more pressure on our no. Its easy to see both from the above images and simply because of their formation, Watford were literally doing both. Thomas Tuchel sent out our familiar 3-4-3 while bestowing minutes on Sal guez as one of the no. 0 - Chelsea are the first team in Premier League history to go through a whole season without ever being behind at half-time. After receiving from Ziyech, who brings the ball centrally before making the switch to Kenedy, Kenedy is afforded time in the box before being closed down. A back four that was playing as narrowly as Watford were cannot cover the width of the field on both flanks. He takes touches and is closed down by two defenders, so when he eventually does try to shoot, he fluffs it. And yet, we wouldnt finish the day with all doom and gloom. As a result, Mount was essentially isolated on that side in terms of creating chances. 3637-3701), the off-field action is about to ramp up significantly, WAGNH on Tour: Las Vegas to Orlando, on the wings of trivago. 10 role. A brilliant Mendy save prevents them from going level. Sal himself would even contribute to that offense early on, taking a few shots and even narrowly missing wide in the 15th minute after a coordinated high press would cause a turnover just outside of their box. Kant and Sal are both back to help defensively, but to highlight the shape of our back 4 (if that was the case), we are horribly mispositioned. Had he taken on the shot with his first touch, there is a likely chance hed have scored. He picks up a pocket of space and receives a pass from Sal on the turn. Malang Sarr would come on but offered significantly less dynamism than Kenedy had done before him. Hernndez finds Joo Pedro, who had dropped into the midfield and dragged Azpilicueta with him. Immediately after their goal, Ben Chilwell was brought out to roaring applause for the final few minutes, showing that he has made outstanding progress since tearing his ligament. Reece James' 2021/22 Premier League season by numbers:26 games117 duels won 108 crosses 99x possession won71 touches in opp. Chelsea 2-1 Watford, Premier League: Tactical Analysis, Charlotte FC 1-1 (5-3 p/k) Chelsea, Friendly: Post-match reaction, Tuchel not best pleased by familiar issues as Chelsea draw preseason friendly in Charlotte, Barcelona still trying to do a Raphinha with Kound as Chelsea push for deal reports, The Beckham Law: Barcelonas enduring financial allure for football players, Death, TAXES, Barcelona gazumping Chelsea, The Daily Aubrey-Maturin: The Reverse of the Medal (Book 11), Chapters 3-4 (pg. With Watford already resigned to relegation and Chelsea with third place essentially wrapped up, we expected to see a bit more rotation in the squad and some of the fringe and academy players to get minutes. box48 chances created37 shots10 shots on target 9 big chances created 9 assists 5 goals No defender was directly involved in more goals. In fact, almost right after the break, Sal gifted them their highest probable goal threat due to a poor touch and taking far too long on the ball. It was surprising to see that Tuchel decided to deploy Ross Barkley just behind Havertz, but it would eventually pay off. pic.twitter.com/698PHTaSf1. Sarr is negligent and Gosling bullets a header past Mendy. 6s and Kenedy getting the nod at wingback. He then is able to slide a weighted pass into the path of Havertz, who is in on goal. The Hornets began to win the midfield battles and they started to play more in the middle third rather than in their defensive third. Kenedy would also grab an assist from some well-worked ball movement and through a passing pattern we have exploited repeatedly this season. The scintillating start to the game would finally see us grab an early goal and play out a comprehensive first half - and we would make history while heading in to the break with the lead. With both Mount and Havertz occupying great spaces, Kenedy picks out the latter at the far post for a tap in as easy as youd like. A season done and dusted, a large regime change both at the helm and in the squad are imminent, and while the on-field action has temporarily halted, the off-field action is about to ramp up significantly. That structural collapse begins because Sarr presses all the way up the pitch on Cucho Hernndez while leaving Gosling in acres of space behind him on that flank. And once again, our wasted chances nearly came back to haunt us. Watford would make some changes as well, and two of those would prove to be immediately impactful. It was a feel good moment that would only be overshadowed by Ross Barkley, in his 100th Chelsea appearance, nodding us into the lead from a beautiful cross by Reece James. We have had problems breaking down teams in a low block but also have been frustrated at times by a packed centre of the park. Once again, the one thing left wanting was our finishing. Kenedy would need to make way around the hour mark due to muscle fatigue, likely because he hasnt played competitive football for months. Dan Gosling would come on in the 82nd minute and have the ball in the back of the net 5 minutes later, assisted by one of Watfords other subs. With about an eternity to find his cross and especially with Thiago Silva now out of our box to close down Adam Masina (another of their subs), the marking becomes as dreadful as the positioning originally was. #PL pic.twitter.com/zVNBDQM8bo. 6s. The game essentially played out in two halves. Havertz was guilty of this, too. This is why the switches were both important and effective. The frustration that we might finish the season on a draw and continue to drop points at home was palpable.