Alvaro
Morata produced a match-winning double against Crystal Palace but can he
score the goals Chelsea need to sustain a title challenge? Peter Smith picks
out the talking points from the Blues' latest win...
It is 11 games unbeaten in the Premier League for Maurizio Sarri's Chelsea
after they came through to win 3-1 over Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge.
That successful run, a joint-record for a new manager to the division,
underlines the impressive impact the Italian boss has had in west London and
Chelsea look like title contenders once more.
Here, from Alvaro Morata's morale-boosting double and another positive
performance from Marcos Alonso, to Eden Hazard's latest masterclass and a
midfield puzzle for the manager to ponder, we pick out talking points from
Chelsea's win…
Morata back among the goals
Chelsea are up to second in the Premier League table and could capitalise on
any slip-up from leaders Manchester City in the derby next Sunday. But if
they are to sustain a title challenge this season they will need a prolific
frontman to weigh in with the goals alongside the genius of Eden Hazard.
The challenge for Alvaro Morata is to be that man - and Chelsea supporters
will be hoping his double to down Crystal Palace on Sunday, which took his
Premier League tally to four goals in four games, can give him the
confidence to go on a scoring streak.
It has been a year since the Spaniard scored in back-to-back league games
for the Blues and even longer since he found the net twice in the same
Premier League game, but a first-half snapshot and well-taken second 25
minutes from time backed up his effort at Burnley last time out and showed a
glimpse of the quality the former Real Madrid and Juventus striker
possesses.
There was a certain inevitability about him spurning his hat-trick chance in
injury-time, though, and his glum reaction to the miss shows his string of
wasted opportunities in 2018 - sparked by a day to forget at Arsenal in
January - weigh heavy on him.
He will have to shake that mentality and show more of the impressive
finishing skills he put on display against Palace in the coming months if he
is to keep Olivier Giroud out of the frame and be Chelsea's main man this
term.
Hazard's instant impact
It was some luxury for Maurizio Sarri to turn to his bench and call upon
Eden Hazard midway through the second half, with his side pegged back and
being held by Crystal Palace. The Belgian may have missed Chelsea's past
three matches with a back problem and only had a couple of days training
under his belt, but his introduction changed the mood.
In his first 91 seconds on the field, he took the ball deep into Palace
territory by exchanging passes with Morata, N'Golo Kante and Pedro, won a
free-kick, dusted himself off and curled the ball to the back post for
Morata to fire Chelsea back in front.
It was a perfect example of the energy he brings to this Chelsea team, his
skill when shielding the ball from opponents - "he protects the ball
brilliantly," said Sky Sports pundit Alan Smith - and his quality deliveries
into the danger zone.
That's 11 goal involvements in his past 10 Premier League appearances for
Hazard now, (seven goals, four assists). Chelsea become a better team when
he is on the field.
Alonso's attacking threat
In the build-up to this contest, Jamie Carragher, in MNF Extra, praised
Marcos Alonso's attacking contributions but warned he would have to improve
defensively if he is to master the switch from left wing-back under Antonio
Conte to left-back under Sarri.
While Alonso made more tackles than any other player on the pitch on Sunday,
that side of his game will be more rigorously tested by Tottenham and
Manchester City in the coming weeks. Instead, against Palace, he was able to
show what he can do in the advanced positions Sarri allows him to roam into.
Most chances created - Premier League defenders 2018/19
| Player |
Club |
Premier League Defenders 2018/19 |
| Marcos Alonso |
Chelsea |
14 |
| Jonny |
Wolves |
12 |
| Andrew Robertson |
Liverpool |
12 |
| Matt Doherty |
Wolves |
12 |
Only Jorginho had more touches of the ball, underlining Alonso's influence
on Chelsea's play, and only the Italian had more touches in the opposition
half. With all that involvement, Alonso launched a game-high five crosses
into the box and teed up Pedro for Chelsea's third.
Remarkably, that third assist of the season for Alonso means he has exceeded
his Premier League tally for last season in just 11 run outs this term. It
is unlikely to be the last as his importance to this team - who he has just
signed a new contract for - continues to grow.
Midfield question for Sarri
Given Kante's impact on the Premier League with Leicester and Chelsea, it is
perhaps an odd sight to see him shifted into a less familiar role under
Sarri, further forward in midfield, charged with creating chances and
shuttling the ball in advanced areas, rather than just winning it back.
The purpose of the change is to allow Sarri's midfield mastermind Jorginho
to sit in front of the backline and dictate play like a quarter-back, as he
did so successfully at Napoli. With Chelsea on such a successful run of
results, it is clearly a move which is working.
But with the playmaking ability of Cesc Fabregas and Mateo Kovacic on the
bench, could Sarri be tempted to turn to a more accomplished ball-player
than Kante when Chelsea are struggling to find a way through against the
likes of Palace? Or alternatively swap Kante back into the holding role when
the going gets tough?
"Sarri clearly wants Jorginho as that pivot, that Andrea Pirlo figure if you
like, getting the team onto the front foot," said Sky Sports' Alan Smith.
"But what you do lack then is the defensive nous, the ability to dash across
10 yards, as we saw Kante do so often over the last couple of years, and get
his foot in."
It is a question which Sarri will have to answer down the line - but for
now, he is no doubt delighted to have the options he has at his disposal.
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