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Chelsea can take one further step towards the Premier League title as they face Southampton at Stamford Bridge. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 12:15am (AEDST).
Blue dreams of treble glory were quashed in West London this week as Chelsea succumbed to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
This ignominious exit, as shocking as it was, may come back to most hurt Manchester City, as Chelsea can now singularly target the Premier League title to go along with their League Cup success last month.
Of course, Jose Mourinho won’t see the exit from Europe that way. Winning the Champions League at Chelsea continues to be the gaping hole in his otherwise illustrious CV, and you could argue not even the Premier League title can sate the disappointment. Notably though, Mourinho refused to offer excuses for Chelsea’s exit, instead lauding the performance of the opponent – most unlike him.
While some understanding can be offered for being knocked out at the hands of PSG, less will be on display if the Blues don’t have a reaction against Southampton.
It’s hard to speculate if Mourinho will overhaul his starting XI following the midweek loss. Despite scoring the opener, defender Gary Cahill’s lapse in allowing Thiago Silva’s winning header may see his axing, with Kurt Zouma likely to be subbed in. Additionally, Mourinho may seek to take Diego Costa out of the firing line after a tempestuous performance and instead start either Didier Drogba or Loic Remy.
In midfield, the combination of Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic should remain intact, while Willian may be asked to partner Eden Hazard between the midfield and forward line.
While the focus is on Chelsea’s ability to bounce back, spare a thought for Southampton. After such a bright start, manager Ronald Koeman’s challenge is to reintroduce consistency to his side, all the while rival clubs once again wave their wallets at different personnel at St Mary’s. We’ve seen this story before.
Aside from influencing his players to keep their minds on the task at hand, Koeman will be aware his side is coming against a highly motivated Chelsea, if performing at Stamford Bridge wasn’t already hard enough. Against the stars in the Blues’ line-up, the influence of Victor Wanyama and Morgan Schneiderlin is critical to the Saints’ outcome, while Koeman may tempt fate and select Shane Long ahead of Graziano Pelle, especially if tactics demand a long-ball game to deny Chelsea possession.
Both Pelle and fellow bright spot Dusan Tadic could be held in reserve for any late steal. Another big game is on the cards for left back Ryan Bertrand against his former club.
Given Chelsea’s motivation and Southampton’s inconsistency, it is difficult to go past the home side. Yet the lessons of midweek may persuade Mourinho to push forward and utilise the attacking weapons at his disposal, thereby leaving gaps at the back.
Expect Southampton to defend deep and only push forward on the counter against a Chelsea side eager to wave away the Manchester City challenge.
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