Graham Potter was desperate for a performance like this.
In his team’s 2-0 win over Bournemouth, Chelsea were dominant, exciting and ruthless. After three consecutive defeats without scoring a goal, it was the perfect belated Christmas present for the Chelsea fans who had gathered at Stamford Bridge.
In particular, Potter’s decision to go to a 4-2-3-1 formation worked wonders. It allowed Mason Mount to roam free in the number ten role, where he caused chaos, while Raheem Sterling was brilliant on the right-hand side. However, there was a sour note, as the returning Reece James, handed his first start in ten weeks, was taken off injured in the second half.
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It’s hard to think of a player so underrated across the board as Mount. The Chelsea fans love him, but the wider footballing community, as we saw on social media at the World Cup, don’t seem to rate what he brings to the table. During this Premier League encounter, he showed why every single manager he plays under trusts him so implicitly.
His goal, Chelsea’s second of the night, was one of pure class. Chelsea were in full flow and as Denis Zakaria on his debut stumbled in the penalty area, Havertz teed one up for Mount on the edge of the box and the Englishman whipped one into the bottom corner.
The midfielder found space when there seemingly wasn’t any and in this system, Chelsea look so fluid in comparison to what we saw before the break. Everything about the Blues seems dysfunctional, especially when you look at the collection of players, but Potter managed to get a tune out of them when his individual performance was under the microscope.
The midfield pivot of Zakaria and Jorginho were able to control the tempo, and with movement ahead of them, Bournemouth were always in trouble. The opener came as the troublesome Mount received the ball in the pocket, and fed Raheem Sterling who had found space on the right wing. The Englishman then played a wonderful ball across the goal for Kai Havertz to tap in at the back post.
Sterling was denied before the break after another wonderful move but for the first time in over a year, Chelsea headed into the half-time dressing room with a two-goal lead. Chelsea were never in danger of throwing away that lead but the positivity from the first half soon was soon soured by an injury.
James, who had been out since the start of October with a knee injury, went down with another leg injury and was substituted. It was desperately unlucky for the England man who missed the World Cup and could now be out for yet another prolonged spell. In the 53 minutes he was on the pitch today he showed how crucial he is to Chelsea moving forward, and now Potter will have to find another solution with a double header against Manchester City to come next week.
Kalidou Koulibaly headed one wide from a set piece as Bournemouth tried to push forward but with Thiago Silva on top form, Potter’s side kept them out to secure their first clean sheet since October 19. For a team that has struggled for form, the World Cup break seemingly came at a perfect time.
Potter has got to grips with this squad and now, seems to have settled on a back four. Bigger tests are to come, but today, his side kept a clean sheet and looked good going forward. However, the injury to James could once again knock HMS Potter off course.
