Maurizio Sarri has been at pains to insist Chelsea are a work in progress under his stewardship to date and, for large periods of this contest, he would have taken little delight in appearing to be proved right. Yet, a month into the new campaign, his team’s perfect record remains intact, his players are familiarising themselves with his demands and each of their victories is being decorated by the brilliance of the man they might have lost.
Eden Hazard, having accepted any move to Real Madrid will have to wait, is already thriving under the new regime. His scuttling energy was never quelled by a well-drilled Bournemouth team and, if teammates are still finding their feet, he has hit the ground running. He remains the player who spreads panic among opponents and sets this side’s tone. “I’m confident, I’m enjoying my football, we have a new manager and lots of good players,” offered the Belgian before taking his children on to the turf for a post-match kickabout. “And I know when I play good, the team play good.”
At present he is playing well, and, if not quite with the desired fluency as yet, they are too. Sarri’s decision to leave the 27-year-old among the substitutes until late in the wins over Huddersfield and Arsenal, with one eye on his exertions deep into the World Cup, had felt risky at the time, but such caution is paying off already. He looks refreshed and eager to impress, a player who demands the ball and is happy to play a 40-yard pass and they scurry upfield in support of his teammate to collect a return.
Hazard’s combination play with Marcos Alonso has lost none of its precision from the last two years, as evidenced near the end as they exchanged passes on the corner of the Bournemouth penalty area with the forward skipping on to the Spaniard’s return. His finish was fizzed low and through Asmir Begovic to complete the victory and ensure the last few minutes were devoid of anxiety. The tension had long since been lanced.
Alonso, too, warranted praise. The left-back is exposed defensively at times but he has won two penalties, provided a pair of assists and scored a goal himself in this first batch of Premier League matches. Sarri described him as “maybe the best left-back in Europe”, before adding: “If he improves in the defensive phase, he could be the best left-back in the world.” Bournemouth might argue a player who had already been booked for a foul on Adam Smith could actually have been shown a second yellow for deliberately delaying the same player’s attempt to take a quick throw-in just before Chelsea made the game safe.
In truth, their frustrations lay elsewhere. So effectively had they performed from the outset that, aside from Alonso scuffing a right-foot shot on to the post in stoppage time at the end of the first half, the visitors boasted a measure of control for more than an hour. Flurries of frustration were starting to flit around the ground and the most threatening openings had been theirs, whether eked out from Diego Rico’s centre towards Callum Wilson, beyond back-tracking centre-halves, or from the same player’s second-half corner which reached Nathan Aké in the six-yard box. Both opportunities were skied high and wide on the half volley, to leave Bournemouth saddled by a sense of dread as to what might follow.
As soon as the hosts drummed up some tempo to their passing, they were rewarded. A flowing move, all pinged close passes through the middle with Bournemouth momentarily slack in closing space, culminated in the substitutes, Pedro and Olivier Giroud, combining just outside the visitors’ penalty area. Pedro’s shot flicked from Steve Cook to veer beyond Begovic into the corner. “A cruel deflection,” said Eddie Howe. “Chelsea are a different team this year, with a totally different way of playing, and they’ll improve as the season goes on.” His own side’s resilience, even in defeat, was still encouraging.
Yet the real optimism lies in this corner of south-west London. On four of the last five occasions Chelsea have won their first four league fixtures, they have gone on to claim the title. Sarri was dismissive of any talk of a repeat, the instinctive caution kicking back in with reminders that this group finished 30 points off the top last season, but everything about their start has been promising.
Perhaps there is still a little too much reliance on Hazard but leaning on a world-class talent is no chore when he delivers form this dazzling. Most worrying for the rest is the acceptance, from inside and outside the club, that they will get better as the campaign progresses. “We can improve,” added Sarri. “We will improve.” Even now, the promise is yielding rewards.
Guardian UK
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