Josh McEachran in Action for England U17's, he took his chance to shine today
With the World Cup meaning that few of Chelsea’s experienced players were available for selection, the up and coming stars were given a chance to impress Carlo Ancelotti and the fans in the first pre-season friendly of the season.
The game had a typical pre-season tempo, with plenty of opportunity for players on both sides to pass the ball about and find their way into a game that in the end produced few clear cut chances.
Featuring a plethora of substitutions, Chelsea were able to secure victory through a classy piece of link up play on the edge of the area that included a nifty interchange between Franco Di Santo and Josh McEachran that allowed Michael Essien to slot home from 15 yards.
However the result was never the issue, the goalscoring return of Michael Essien is obviously going to grab many of the headlines, but there were many competent performances from the younger players on display.
This gives hope that maybe fewer new signings than expected are required to replace the departed vanguard of Belletti, Ballack and Joe Cole.
Player Selection and Performance Analysis
In goal there was little deviation as the three established goalkeepers were rotated so that each saw some action during the game. However in defence only Alex could be attributed as an experienced senior squad player, he was supported by Patrick Van Aarnholt, Jeffery Bruma and Ryan Bertrand all of whom displayed competence but were denied the chance to shine by the dominance of the Chelsea midfield.
The midfield was anchored by John Obi Mikel who was joined by Michael Essien and the developing talents of Nemanja Matic and Josh McEachran.
Apart from the assured return of Michael Essien it was senior team debutant Josh McEachran who stole the midfield show, looking assured, passing well creating chances and playing a key part in the Michael Essien goal.
Up front Daniel Sturridge looked lively with a clear desire to prove his worth to the management staff, Franco Di Santo did not have a bad game but did little to show that he should be challenging for a first team berth during the season.
As the game went on the substitutions came thick and fast, with 7 of last years reserve and youth teams getting a chance to impress.
The pick of these players was Scott Sinclair who after 3 years of bouncing around the Premiership and lower leagues on loan must feel that this season is his last chance to succeed as a Chelsea player. During his cameo he looked sharp and unafraid to take on defenders, it was this tenacity that should have won his side a penalty, with the referee erroneously deciding that during one mazy run he was tackled outside the penalty area, instead of the actual 2 yards inside the area where the incident took place.
Overall the game was hardly exhilarating, but that is not what such games are about, the players were given a chance to ease into the season, whilst many unknowns impressed during their first high profile appearance in front of the clubs global fan base.
Next up Ajax!
