Blues Blog | Champions League MD 5 - Chelsea v Sevilla: Giroud is Giroud

Matchday 5 in the Champions League so far has been a weird one, with most teams opting to rotate their squads, this has thrown up a few shock results or tight affairs, as managers seek to manage their squads or have perhaps already qualified. Coming into this game, I was nervous for equal reasons, going away from home with a nearly completely different side. The opposition, Sevilla, is one of the most underrated teams in Europe, they have demonstrated a nous for knockout football and I was stunned but also not totally surprised to hear they had only lost once to English opposition in Europe in their own backyard, that coming against Man City back in 2015. However, my expectation, perhaps hope, was a lack of crowd was going to sober this effect, which it did.

Ringing Changes

Like I said, a very different XI turned out for this affair. 9 changes in total, yet when those changes include Kai Havertz, Azpilicueta, Christian Pulisic, and no sign of Marcos Alonso, I was encouraged. The only thing that left me concerned was having to deal with Christensen’s mandatory two to three errors per game and whether this would be punished.

Lampard’s Blueprint

Fortunately, we started well. As time progresses, we continue to see how each player is slowly gelling into Lampard’s mould and the first goal was a picture of this. Maintaining possession, albeit shakily at the back, before dropping it with the water carrier himself, Kovacic. He lays it on for the driving force, Havertz, who carries the ball into the final third and lays it into the feet of the man who everyone has suddenly woken up to again: Olivier Giroud. It was a beautiful flowing move that exhibited some of the composure but certainly the penetration our game has lacked in periods, particularly against Spurs. A promising hallmark, especially against strong opposition in a tough away fixture.

Giroud being Giroud, again

I said in my review of the Rennes game, Giroud is Giroud, and Giroud is very good at what he brings to the table. It would appear everyone has read that paragraph from that article because everyone has sat up and taken notice of the talent this man has. Then again, it’s hard not to praise a man scoring a perfect hat trick and adding a penalty to boot.

The four goals demonstrated each facet of the man's quality, each goal was different. The control and composure to switch the ball onto his left and finish off-balance for the first goal.

The subtle movement and delicate technique to dink the keeper, on his weak foot, for the second goal. Then to complete the hat trick, the most trademark of headers, enabled not only by the superb delivery from Kante, but the timing and control from Giroud to use the pace of the ball to steer it home. The fourth was the metaphorical cherry on the icing of the cake, beautifully dispatching a penalty in the top corner that he himself had earned from the same movement that had earned his third goal.

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, and now everyone else will say it with me: underrated. Just don’t expect this every week...

Next Time Out

Next time out it’s Leeds at home. Sadly, I will not be in attendance but I’m thrilled and intrigued to see the renewal of this old rivalry. I was very young and first developing my love affair with football when Leeds went down in 2003. I still vividly remember crying to my mum when she wouldn’t let me stay up to watch a Chelsea game that just happened to be against Leeds, so I missed that iconic overhead kick winner from Eidur Gudjohnsen on that Tuesday evening in January 2003. Still, to this day, one of my favourite Chelsea goals.

However, I’ve always had an admiration for Leeds. Not in a way that I like them, but I see them as one of those necessary evils, one of those rivals you need to have around to make life interesting. You love seeing them fail, but you want to be the ones inflicting it. So I was happy to see the playoff drama with Derby and it was funny to see them blow promotion on multiple occasions. Yet, I was also glad to see them back in the Premier League, and I want to see them stay, so that I can (hopefully) enjoy the thrill of beating them.

Until next time.

DB