Chelsea have upped their game under new manager Thomas Tuchel and they have picked yet another win in the Premier League, this time beating Newcastle United on Monday night.
The Blues won the match 2-0 and they scored both the goals within a span of just 10 minutes towards the end of the first half. Olivier Giroud scored the first in the 31st minute and then it was Timo Werner who finally found the back of the net six minutes before the half time whistle.
The way, Chelsea dominated the first half, it seemed as if the match would be a walk in the park for the Blues but Newcastle United came out after the break with a lot of grit and determination and in the end, Tuchel had to make sure that his side did not crack in the final stages of the game.
And it seems like this mixed form from Chelsea is right now the big cause of concern, something which the new manager is actively trying to rectify.
‘I liked the first half,’ he said, as per the club’s official website.
‘We played with courage and had a lot of touches in the box and a lot of shots. We managed to keep them away from our box and did not allow chances or even half-chances so I liked that a lot.
‘During the whole match, we lacked precision in the last decision and we lacked decision-making in the box. We can be more deadly, more precise and more decisive that we create even more chances of our half-chances.
‘In the second half, the first three or four minutes were more or less the picture for the whole half. We suddenly gave away two shots in the first two minutes, we lost duels, we had suddenly corners against us and I felt we had the feeling of something to lose.
‘We played too many balls back when we could escape the pressure, we did not open up or keep the advantage to put the game into the opponent’s half. The counter-attacks in the second half were not precise or clinical enough to score a third goal and finish the game.’
Kepa managed to keep a clean sheet which will do his confidence a world of good but the manager will not be happy with how his side lost control of the match during the second half of the match.
Newcastle United managed 10 shots out of which four were on target and if the Blues had been a bit more careless then the Magpies might very well have scored from some of them.
But, in the end, it’s the three points which matter the most and with this win, Chelsea are now fourth on the Premier League table with 42 points.
Next up, they take on Southampton on Saturday and Chelsea will be looking to pick their fifth straight win in the Premier League against a Saints side who are winless in their previous five league games.
