Its matchday 17 in the Premier League as the league reaches the half way stage. Chelsea are hosting bottom placed Sheffield United at Stamford Bridge for a lunchtime kickoff with both the teams having their own share of struggles this season. The hosts were humbled 2-0 by Everton last weekend in an underwhelming fashion as the Blues had the lion’s share of possession yet failed to create anything throughout the 90 minutes. It was a game of chances for both sides with Everton being clinical in their attack while the Blues were left distraught with yet another defeat on the road this season. The West London side now find themselves languishing in 12th place with just 5 wins in 16 games so far this season. Pochettino’s men have yet to reach the levels their fans are expecting of them as they continue to struggle against teams who defend in a low block.
Sheffield United on the other hand became the first club to sack their manager this season as Paul Heckingbottom was sacked last week as the Blades find themselves in 20th position staring at relegation. There was minimal progress being shown by the side under the Englishman as they managed to win just 1 game under Heckingbottom this season in 16 league games. Chris Wilder made his return to the club and hit the ground running last weekend as the Blades defeated Brentford 1-0 in a spirited performance which would have instilled much confidence in the team as they are just 5 points away from safety.
When and Where?
Date:- 16th December,2023
Time:- 3:00 PM GMT
Venue:- Stamford Bridge
Match Officials
Referee: Andy Madley.
Assistants: Harry Lennard, Nick Hopton.
Fourth official: Rob Jones.
VAR: Peter Bankes.
Assistant VAR: Eddie Smart.
Team News
The Blues were yet with fresh injury blows at Merseyside as Robert Sanchez, Marc Cucurella and Reece James were all subbed off due to injuries and the length of their injuries is yet to be known. They join Trevoh Chalobah, Ben Chilwell, Noni Madueke, Romeo Lavia, Carney Chukwuemeka, Wesley Fofana and Lesley Ugochukwu in the lengthy list of players Pochettino will not be able to count on at the weekend. There is some very positive news though as Christopher Nkunku will be a part of the matchday squad against the Blades which will be his first involvement for his new side this season expected to be off the bench. Malo Gusto also has returned to full first team training and is expected to replace the injured captain Reece James at right back.
Wilder will be without the same group of players who weren’t involved against Brentford as Chris Basham, John Egan, Tom Davies, Rhys Norrington-Davies, Rhian Brewster and Daniel Jebbison will all be absent for the trip to West London. Jack Robinson remains suspended as he picked up his 5th yellow card of the season while Ollie McBurnie and Oliver Norwood will be available again for selection having served their ban last weekend.
Pre-Match Analysis
The pressure seems to be building on Pochettino now as the Blues have a grueling run of fixtures up until New Year’s Day. Despite being the dominant side in most of the games so far and outperforming their opponents on xG, the Blues are finding it difficult to create any chances and convert them against teams who opt to defend deeper. Opposition teams adopt the conservative approach of letting the Blues have the ball and use counter-attacks to create their chances as the high defensive line is very easy to expose for attackers. The game against Everton was yet another replica of every defeat the Blues have suffered this season and there are signs of discontent emerging from the fanbase as the huge investments made in every position of the pitch are failing to perform when needed. With considerable ground already lost in the race for Europe as they sit 14 points off 5th place, the Blues need wins to close the gap and pick up points otherwise a repeat of last season’s disastrous 10th place finish looks likely.
Chris Wilder will be relishing the opportunity to face a struggling Chelsea side who could lose 3 consecutive games for the first time under Pochettino if they lose against the Blades. With no wins so far on the road for the team, Wilder will be determined to ensure the record gets broken at the weekend. A similar hardworking performance could do the job for them as they could draw inspiration from Sean Dyche’s Everton who completely nullified Chelsea’s attacking threat.
It is a game which could go either way though Chelsea would be the favourites to pick up a win at home. Any result except a win in front of the home crowd could further pile pressure on Pochettino as the clock certainly seems to have started ticking for the Argentine. The Blades on the other hand can be optimistic of their chances as they 3 points would take them closer to safety.
Key Players
Cole Palmer
The Englishman has been the only standout player for the Blues so far this season amongst the other attackers who have struggled to impress. The 21 year old has 5 goals and 2 assists for the Blues in 13 appearances so far in the league and will be the player to look out for on Saturday. With Sheffield expected to play deep, Palmer’s intelligent movement and creativity will be needed by the Blues if they are to break down the stubborn Blades’ defence who kept Brentford at bay last weekend.
Predicted XIs
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Petrovic, Gusto, Silva, Badiashile, Colwill, Caicedo, Enzo, Mudryk, Palmer, Sterling, Broja.
Sheffield United (4-1-4-1): Foderingham, Bogle, Ahmedhodzic, Norwood, Trusty, Souza, McAtee, Hamer, Brooks, Archer, McBurnie