Chelsea may have emerged from last night’s game as the victors, but it certainly doesn’t feel that way.
Enzo Maresca’s side were given the relatively kind task of taking on League One side Lincoln City to kickstart their EFL Cup campaign.
However, instead of turning up and turning the opposition over like many expected them to, the West Londoners struggled for much of the game and, barring a five-minute period after half-time, did not look like a top-flight side.
Therefore, Maresca must make several changes for the game this weekend, such as dropping two starters who were somewhat saved by one of the few players who came away from the game looking better: Tyrique George.
Tyrique George's game vs Lincoln
Now, it should be said that while George did better than most of the team last night, it still wasn’t a perfect performance.
In fact, like the rest of his teammates, there were significant periods in the first half in which he was fairly anonymous.
However, unlike many of those around him, the young Englishman did step it up after half-time and, within three minutes, levelled the score for the Blues.
It wasn’t just a tap-in or a lucky shot; it was a sensational effort from outside the penalty area that was powerful enough to leave the Lincoln keeper no chance of stopping it.
Then, to further drive home the message that he should be getting more game time, the 19-year-old Cobham graduate provided the assist for Facundo Buonanotte’s goal two minutes later.
We obviously have to take the level of the opposition into account, but even so, it was an impressive showing from George, and one that saved the blushes of his teammates, including two who must be dropped for the game against Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Chelsea duo Maresca must drop
Unfortunately for Chelsea, there really are several players you could name who put in performances worthy of being dropped last night.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
However, in this instance, we are talking about Maresca’s two wide players: Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens.
Starting with the latter, the game was a real chance for the Englishman to silence all the talk about his ability and get up and running following his move from Borussia Dortmund.
Instead, he has only brought more scrutiny upon himself, as in 70 minutes of football, he did next to nothing, with his most notable involvement being a bad miss early on.
It sounds harsh, but it’s an opinion backed up by Amos Murphy of the Express, who awarded the 21-year-old a 5/10 match rating and wrote that he ‘lacked quality with almost everything he did.’
He wasn’t alone in being ineffective out wide, though, as Garnacho was just as bad, also earning himself a 5/10 rating from Murphy, who stated he ‘did very little to impress on his first start.’
Unsurprisingly, the Argentine’s statistics more than back up such an appraisal.
Minutes
59′
Goals
0
Assists
0
Touches
26
Passes
16
Crosses (Accurate)
1 (0)
Shots
1
Dribbles
0
Aerial Duels (Won)
1 (0)
In his 59 minutes of action, the former Manchester United gem took 26 touches – 31 fewer than Jørgensen – completed just 16 passes, misplaced 100% of his long balls, took a single shot on target, didn’t attempt a dribble and lost 100% of his aerial duels.
Moreover, he was the first player to be taken off in the game, suggesting the manager was just as unimpressed with his showing as we were.
Ultimately, while they may come good at some point, Garnacho and Gittens failed to perform against a third-tier opponent last night, and therefore, must be dropped ahead of the game against Brighton.