Premier League giants Chelsea dropped yet more points in the competition on Monday evening after a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Dean Smith’s Aston Villa. The Villans, with Chelsea legend John Terry in the dugout, caused the Blues all kinds of problems in the first half, but it was Olivier Giroud that opened the scoring for the London club. Despite having several decent chances after that point, they were unable to find an insurance goal. Villa soon found the equaliser in the second half, after a momentary lapse from N’Golo Kante handed the visitors a route back into the fixture.
Chelsea have now won just one of their last five league matches, with defeats at Wolves, Everton and most recently, Arsenal. Their lone win came against London rivals West Ham United, where despite picking up a 3-0 win on paper, by no means was it a convincing display. Frank Lampard will be eager to bring the panache and finesse that Chelsea showed in the early parts of the season back. If a similar run of form was to continue over the coming months as well, the English legend’s place as the manager of this historic football club could certainly come under major scrutiny.
Here Are Three Lessons Learnt From Chelsea’s Draw Against Aston Villa:
Three Lessons Learnt From Chelsea’s Draw Against Aston Villa
Antonio Rudiger Is The Best Back-Up Option
Andreas Christensen is the man who started alongside the German in the heart of defence on Monday, and it must be conceded that he didn’t cover himself in glory. There are sections of the fanbase which claim that he could’ve got up and got on with the game ahead of the Villans’ equaliser in the second half, but even apart from that, there were multiple moments where he should’ve done a better job. On the other hand, Rudiger was completely faultless for the entirety of the fixture and looked a lot more at home in front of Edouard Mendy’s goal.
Mason Mount Is A Player Chelsea Can Depend On
The Blues’ last two performances have both been lacklustre, but if there was one bright spark from both those outings, it was undoubtedly Mason Mount. The Englishman’s ability to seemingly zone out the negative aspects of the game and let his football shine through is something that a lot of these other Chelsea players could learn from.
He hit the post with a strike while it was still goalless against Arsenal, and he was the Blues’ best player in the draw on Monday as well. His influence in midfield cannot be underplayed, and Lampard’s trust in him in now clearly justified.
The Two New Germans Need Time To Settle
Neither of Timo Werner or Kai Havertz started the game against the Villans on Monday, much to the Chelsea faithful’s surprise. However, it’s worth taking into account that they looked a lot better than recent weeks when they came off the bench in the second half. For Werner, the key for Lampard must be playing him upfront, but that would require them to have a full squad available for selection. Havertz is a technician if there ever was one, and for a player like that to get settled into the gritty nature of the Premier League was always going to be a challenge. Their quality is undeniable, and with time, they will likely both still come good for Lampard’s side.
