Man, today I wanted to break down that Chelsea game against Brighton, figured I’d actually write it out step by step like I always do. You know me, gotta document the process.
First thing, I plopped myself down on the couch real early. Grabbed my battered old notebook – the one with the coffee stains – and my blue pen. Fired up the TV way before kickoff. Needed to see that team sheet the second it dropped online.
Okay, step one: Checking the official lineup release. Hit refresh on the club feed constantly. Bam! There it is. Scanned it fast. Saw the keeper – Sanchez in goal, expected that part. Then the defenders… Thiago Silva paired with Disasi? Huh. Guess Fofana’s still out. Recalled that injury update I read last night. Reece James starting again, good to see him back after that suspension nonsense. Cucurella on the left against his old club, spicy.
Next bit: The midfield trio. Jotted the names down quick. Gallagher, Enzo, Caicedo. Interesting, no rest for Enzo. And Caicedo facing Brighton… bet the Amex crowd gonna give him hell. Noticed Gallagher listed higher, seemed like more of a 4-3-3 shape forming in my head.
The attack caught my eye the most. Sterling over there on the left? Made sense, Chilwell overlapping maybe. Palmer in the middle as the number 10? They’re really trusting the kid. Jackson leading the line again upfront. Murmured “Jackson… needs a goal today, son” to myself and scribbled it down with a question mark.
Kickoff whistle goes. Settled in, pen poised. Focused first on the midfield battle. Brighton loves that tricky passing game. Saw Caicedo look a bit tense early on, misplaced a pass. Jotted “Caicedo – nerves? Pressured by crowd?” Remembered how he used to run that Brighton midfield. Kept watching how Gallagher and Enzo supported him.
Noticed a problem after about 20 minutes: The link between midfield and attack felt… sticky. Jackson seemed isolated, Palmer was trying to find space but Brighton marked him tight. Scribbled “Link up: Palmer → Jackson. Missing?” Couple times Palmer got the ball, looked up, and Jackson wasn’t making the run or was offside. Sighed. Knew Potter teams press high.
Brighton scored first. Groaned. Leaned forward. How did the defense get cut open? Silva got drawn out, Disasi tried to cover but the space behind Cucurella got exploited big time. Wrote “Goal – Silva pulled wide. Gap left. Cucurella exposed?” Felt frustratingly predictable.
Second half starts. Saw Pochettino make changes almost straight away. Mudryk on for Sterling? Hmm, direct pace against tired legs later. Noted it. Broja for Jackson later – last roll of the dice up front.
Overall, the lineup choices? Here’s the headache I scribbled as the final whistle blew:
- Silva & Disasi: Good on paper, kinda slow together on the day. Felt caught out a few times.
- Gallagher as the forward CM: Worked hard, pressed like crazy, but maybe sacrificed some attacking spark?
- Palmer at 10: Moments of real class but still learning the role. Sometimes drifted wide leaving Jackson alone.
- Jackson: Worked his socks off, held the ball okay at times… but where were the clear chances for him? Service felt lacking.
And yeah, Chelsea dropped points. Shook my head, closed the notebook. What a mess. That defensive shake-up didn’t look sturdy enough against Brighton’s movement. Felt like maybe different choices or subs earlier could’ve unlocked it. Typical Chelsea chaos this season, honestly.
