STATS!
OptaJoe (@OptaJoe)
820 - Chelsea completed 820 passes and recorded 78.9% possession against Wolves – since the start of 2003-04, these are both the highest totals by a team in their manager’s first Premier League game in charge. Stamp. #CHEWOL pic.twitter.com/oTLXi1071o
January 27, 2021
Havertz was a bit ... errrrr ... anonymous but was allowed to play 90 minutes. Pulisic was very lively after coming off the bench, which will please Tuchel who worked with him at Dortmund, too.
Elsewhere ... Burnley beat Aston Villa 3-2, which is far more exciting. Guardian columnist Ben Mee scored his second goal of the season, which is great news.
Wolves defended well and had little ambition to attack.
What have we learned about Tuchel’s Chelsea? They are already more disciplined than under Frank Lampard but they struggled to create chances against a Wolves team who were very defensive. I think Tuchel could have switched things up as the cross into the box were dealt with well by Wolves. The personnel off the bench made a difference but a change in style could have helped them. Mount was only given 10 minutes to influence things from the centre, something they missed with Havertz looking subpar.
90 mins: Three minutes added on.
Mary Waltz says: “The focus , understandably, has been on Chelsea, but, My God, Wolves look horrible.”
Just doing what they have to on this occasion.
89 mins: The ball is slipped into the box and Mount turns Neves to earn space in the area, only to see his pullback turned behind by Boly.
A lovely pass is pinged across the field by Neto to Dendoncker in space on the right but he can’t control it perfectly and the ball ends up in Mendy’s arms. What a chance that could have been for Wolves.
87 mins: Hudson-Odoi, who has moved out onto the left flank, cuts in and drives for the box, before firing in a shot which is deflected and then palmed wide by Patricio.
85 mins: Mount is on but his first action of note is to curl a corner into the arms of Patricio.
83 mins: Pulisic gets down the right and pulls the ball back, with Ziyech then laying it off to Kovacic to shoot from 18 yards but his shot curls inches wide of the post.
81 mins: Ziyech thwacks a shot from 30 yards out which Coady dives in the way to divert wide via his head. The danger ends when the referee awards a free-kick for a foul on Patricio.
79 mins: Azipilicueta curls a dangerous cross into the ‘corridor of uncertainty’ but Patricio reads it and claims before a Chelsea boot can get a touch on it.
77 mins: Neves decides to ping a shot well over the bar from 30 yards out when he had better options around him.
Pulisic and Abraham are on for Chilwell and Giroud. Chilwell seemed mildly perplexed by the decision.
Havertz gets the ball and passes it straight out of play. An odd decision from a man bringing nothing to the party.
75 mins: Not really. I am seeing if my six-week old daughter will fall asleep in the final 15 mins.
Chris Sheppard (@sheppardcjs)
@Will_Unwin hi Will, the first half was so dull that I didn’t mind having to watch the bedtime story and put my son to bed. It’s still 0-0 have I actually missed anything?
January 27, 2021
73 mins: Podence is the man to make way for Willian Jose, unsurprisingly.
It should be said that Tuchel has been very animated on the sideline every time Chelsea attack. I can’t imagine what he will do if they actually score.
71 mins: Hudson-Odoi lifts a cross into the box but Boly is there to meet it, he sends in another which Kilman chests behind for a corner that comes to nothing.
Wolves go straight down the other end, as Neto bundles his way through with the ball, eventually chipping Mendy only to see the ball hit the crossbar and go over.
69 mins: Willian Jose is coming for Wolves. Hopefully that will bring a focal point to their attack.
67 mins: Chelsea are getting a bit more ambitious in the final third, with the Wolves defence starting to look a little stretched. The latest attack ends with Boly tackling Havertz perfectly, leaving the German to bemoan the physical nature of the challenge as he rolls on the floor for no reason.
65 mins: Ziyech slides in pass for Giroud, he takes a good first touch but it leaves him off-balance, resulting in his shot being a bit weak, allowing Patricio to gobble it up.
A more detailed description of Wolves’ issues from someone who knows what they are talking about. Chris Redston emails to say: “What’s happened to Wolves is that they have lost half their first team from last year. Nuno sold Docherty to Spurs and Jota to Liverpool (both crazy decisions), Raul Jimenez is injured, as is Jonny and Saiss (and Podence has been out for a month). Jota is missed as much as Raul, they were excellent together. We have some good kids, but no club can lose half its team and not feel it.”
63 mins: Chilwell goes into the book for a poor challenge on Traore which catches him on the top of his foot.
Kim Crawley on potential subs: “Werner and Mount for Giroud and Havertz.”
61 mins: Some nice interplay between Kovacic and Havertz allows the German to lay it back to Chilwell who thrashes his shot well over the back from 16 yards or so.
59 mins: Kilman catches Ziyech on the shin and the former Ajax goes down in pain. The subsequent free-kick comes to nothing.
Tuchel must be contemplating a few subs here now. Havertz must be a prime candidate to go off as he’s been anonymous.
57 mins: “Hi Will,” says Dean Kinsella. “All the concentration is on Chelsea this evening and understandably so. But, what on earth has happened to Wolves?”
They lost their main striker and have no one else who can score is their main issue.
55 mins: Is it starting to get a bit foggy at Stamford Bridge or is my eyesight going?
Podence is down again after a firm but fair challenge from Kovacic. The referee agrees with Wolves man and awards a free-kick, though.
53 mins: Wolves get a throw-in in the left-hand corner, which turns into another throw from the same position ... and then another. All very riveting stuff.
51 mins: Neto goes into the book after giving Jorginho a good old fashion push in the chest. The Italian lies on the deck like he was hit over the head with a frying pan but he is faking it.
49 mins: “Ruth Purdue believes in “earning your bones” in coaching. Allow me to disagree,” says Alan Gomes. “It’s not only Pep; Zinedine Zidane, Luis Enrique, Franz Beckenbauer, Frank Rijkaard, Johan Cruyff, Kenny Dalglish, Didier Deschamps.
“All these men were given top jobs with little or no managerial experience. They did fine. Sometimes you roll the dice with a former great and you get a Pep. Sometimes you get a Lampard.”
47 mins: Wolves have brought on Hoever for Ait-Nouri at the break. The youngster struggled in the opening 45 minutes against Hudson-Odoi. Semedo has gone to the left and is immediately done by Hudson-Odoi who pulls the ball back into the box but it ultimately comes to nothing.
Here we go again!
What a funny Fiver, who on earth could had written this?
He has certainly done that ...
Jason Lafferty (@jaslafferty)
@Will_Unwin it’s weird, it’s almost like he left out a young midfielder that specialises in line breaking passes and increasing the tempo in favour of having 3 LBs in the squad...
January 27, 2021
The stats say Chelsea had 79% possession in the first half, which is impressive.
OptaJoe (@OptaJoe)
433 - Chelsea have made 433 successful passes against Wolves so far; their most in the first half of a Premier League game since the start of the 2003-04 season (when we have this data available). Construction. #CHEWOL pic.twitter.com/ZSFDoYMOwd
January 27, 2021
Ruth Purdue says: “I am a big believer in “earning your bones in coaching in football”. As soon as this obsession of trying to replicate Pep and give a “top job” to someone who has just retired.
“Tuchel retired early due to injury so earned his bones at Stuttgart, I believe, coaching the youth before moving to Augsburg.
“Maybe, just maybe coaching isn’t the same as playing and require different skills such as organisation.”
Elsewhere ... Villa are beating Burnley 1-0 at the break.
Sign up for the recap, lads, you know you want to.
Chelsea have looked more like a cohesive unit in the first half but never really given the impression they might score, despite having a hell of a lot of possession. Hudson-Odoi has looked their most dangerous player but no one has got on the end of one of his crosses. Wolves are defending well but that’s about all you say about them.
45 mins: Three minutes added on.
44 mins: Carl Whindler points out that Tuchel is far too modern for the likes of Hoddle (and me). “Hoddle had just called CHO a wing back but I’m not sure, he seems to be playing as an out and out right winger to me. It’s as if Chelsea are playing with Azpilacueta as a right back and Chilwell as a left wing back. Intriguing.”
On the pitch, Chelsea are politely passing the ball around.
42 mins: Peter Oh emails to say: “Re: 38 mins. Given Tuchel’s German origins, I wonder if ‘oompah’ would have been more accurate than ‘oomph’.”
That level of thought is, sadly, above me.
40 mins: Semedo bundles over Chilwell in the corner, giving Chelsea a free-kick in a dangerous position. Ziyech pings to the back post where Rudiger is waiting but his header does not have the power to trouble Patricio.
Wolves break down the other where a dangerous cross is sent into the box for the onrushing Dendoncker to head at goal but his effort goes over.
38 mins: Tuchel is looking quite animated on the bench, as he looks like he wants a bit more ‘oomph’ from his players going forward.
36 mins: Havertz has not brought much to the party thus far. He had one good one into the box but that is about it. I think Chelsea fans will be looking for more dynamism from him, as he looks quite placid.
34 mins: Chelsea have a structure and a plan, even if it’s not resulting in many chances. Impressive stuff from Tuchel to make them vaguely organised after a few hours on the training pitch.
32 mins: Another dangerous cross comes into the box from Hudson-Odoi, ending up on Chilwell’s left leg, but he shins the volley wide at the back post.
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