Kovacic earns his spot
When Mateo Kovacic joined Chelsea – initially on loan – from Real Madrid in the summer of 2018 there were very few who doubted his technical quality.
A wonderfully balanced dribbler and two-footed passer, Kovacic appeared to possess everything needed to thrive at the top of the European game. But too often, matches would bypass him. There would be a nice touch here, a smart turn there, yet Kovacic never truly took hold of a match.
That began to change after his switch to Chelsea was made permanent and let's not forget he was named the club's 2019/20 Player of the Season. However, that campaign and the one that followed have proved to be nothing more than amuse-bouches in the Kovacic story.
This term, the Croatian has taken his game to another level. He has become a far bigger threat in the attacking third – evidenced by the fact he has five assists in the Premier League, one fewer than he managed in the three previous seasons combined – and has taken on greater responsibility defensively alongside either N'Golo Kante or Jorginho.
As a result, it was no surprise to see Kovacic start against Al Hilal in the Club World Cup semi-final yesterday. Nor was it a shock that he claimed the man-of-the-match award.
Kovacic has become that important and were it not for a hamstring injury and Covid that kept him out for the best part of two months, he would be the runaway choice for the Player of the Season award.
"Kova has big experience and played a lot of big games in his career," Zsolt Low, standing in for the absent Thomas Tuchel, explained after last night's 1-0 win.
"He's important on the pitch and outside it. He brought everything today. He never stopped running, stopped fighting and always tried to find the solution for his teammates. We're very happy to have Kova in this group. He's a big leader."
A controversial decision awaits
The story of Chelsea's win over Al Hilal is one Blues supporters have become painfully familiar with over the past ten weeks. Their side controls a contest, nicks a goal, misses further opportunities to kill off the game, and then has to rely on a combination of their defence and their goalkeeper to get over the line.
Romelu Lukaku's 32nd-minute opener should've been the platform on which Chelsea built a commanding victory. Instead, it was left to Kepa Arrizabalaga to ensure the Blues reached the Club World Cup final.
The Spaniard kept his place in the starting XI ahead of Edouard Mendy; the Senegal international only joined up with the Chelsea squad yesterday morning having helped his country win the African Cup of Nations at the weekend.
And Kepa needed to be at his best. There was a close-range stop to deny Moussa Marega from levelling the match in the second period and one full-length dive to push clear a fine effort from Mohamed Kanno.
"Today, when we needed him, he was there," Low said after the game. "He's in very good shape. He plays and trains well. We're lucky to have him."
Now comes a difficult decision for Tuchel and his coaching staff: Which goalkeeper starts the final? Mendy is Chelsea's number one, the man who helped them win the Champions League. But Kepa is in fine form and has managed to rebuild his confidence that was shattered during the 2019/20 season.
"In the next days we have to decide who plays the final," said Low. "We're waiting for Thomas' opinion and the goalkeeping coaches before we take the decision for the final.."
No matter the decision Tuchel makes, it will be controversial. Either he will leave his first-choice stopper out for a showpiece game or will drop the goalkeeper who played an important role in Chelsea reaching the final.
We certainly don't envy the Blues head coach.
Alonso concern remains
From the moment Ben Chilwell hobbled off against Juventus in November, left wing-back has become a problem position for Chelsea.
The England international was in the form of his career prior to his partial ACL tear. Not only had Chilwell established himself as a consistent goal threat, but his ability to come inside into midfield was hugely important in how Chelsea constructed attacks.
His absence over the past two months has been felt hard, especially as Marcos Alonso has not stepped up in the absence of the 25-year-old.
It's easy to forget that Alonso started the campaign ahead of Chilwell in the left wing-back pecking order. And his early-season performances ensured he maintained his place in the side. So it is wrong to simply claim the Spaniard isn't of the calibre to produce for Chelsea.
But his form over the past two months has simply not been good enough. He has been sluggish, off the pace, and defensively suspect.
Tuchel's decision to move to a back four in January and start Malang Sarr at left-back hasn't sparked Alonso back into life either. That much was highlighted against Al Hilal.
Used in his favoured wing-back role, the 31-year-old was a cumbersome presence down the Chelsea left. Alonso didn't offer a great deal in the final third – his usual strong point – and was on the end of a rather stern ticking off from Lukaku after a poor second-half cross resulted in a chance being wasted.
Lukaku wasn't the only Chelsea player to have a word with Alonso; Thiago Silva felt the need to cajole the Spanish international in the opening period after some lax defending.
Understandably, there will be those who deride Chelsea and Tuchel's decision not to bring in another wing-back in the January transfer window. But the reasons why remain valid.
Sarr is in situ. Kenedy is also an option at wing-back after being recalled from his loan at Flamengo. And then there is Alonso, a vastly experienced international who, despite what many of his critics may feel, is far better than the form he has shown in the absence of Chilwell.
