If Chelsea’s opening fixture against Burnley was David vs Goliath, one would argue the Blues’ hope opener against Leicester City could be construed as the United States vs Grenada. The Blues were impressive in disposing of top flight new boys Burnley on Monday, and look to wow the fans at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Cesc Fabregas turned in an immaculate performance in his competitive debut for the East London club, delivering a man-of-the-match performance which included a sublime flick to Andre Schurrle for the Blues’ second tally. Diego Costa also impressed, opening his account for Chelsea to level at 1-1. Even so, Chelsea showed some vulnerability, but don’t expect them to do so again this weekend.
After going down 1-0 on Monday, Chelsea kicked it into top gear. This weekend look for Chelsea to attack from the opening kickoff, feeding off of the Stamford Bridge crowd. Leicester were impressive in their home draw against Everton, Riyed Mahrez putting in a terrific performance. Mahrez showed he belongs in the top flight, and that should be encouraging for Leicester.
However, Chelsea will be near impossible to compete with at home, at least for a club like Leicester. It wouldn’t surprise me if Chelsea went unbeaten at home this season, given Jose Mourinho’s pristine record at the Bridge and the arrival of new signings Fabregas and Costa.
Felipe Luis earned a place on the bench in the opening fixture, but could feature this weekend at left back with Cesar Azpilicueta moving over to right back in place of Branislav Ivanovic. I would speculate that this would be the long-term solution to Chelsea’s deep set of fullbacks. Luis has a great deal of pace compared to the aging Ivanovic.
The combination of Oscar, Nemanja Matic, and Fabregas in the midfield is a lethal one. Matic is happy to sit deep and dictate the middle third, with Oscar and Fabregas searching out creative opportunities up the field. Eden Hazard turned in an exceptional performance against Burnley, as did Andre Schurrle who was on the end of Fabregas’ wonder-through ball.
Diego Costa completes this Chelsea team. Costa showed promise that he could replicate his La Liga form in the premier league, while his skill set could have easily made the difference in Chelsea’s title challenge last season. He doesn’t look it, but Costa is still at a tender enough age that he could yet show his best.
Under Jose Mourinho, Costa will be managed well, not that he wasn’t under Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid. With a top striker, Chelsea look set to reek havoc both in Europe and in England. Mourinho has the depth at every position to challenge on multiple fronts, and expect them to take care of business fairly easily this weekend. They have yet to be tested against a contending team, but the Blues look to be in excellent form early on. I see Chelsea coming away with a 3-0 win on Saturday.
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