Chelsea suffer setback on Merseyside and Champions League last 16 opponents confirmed

Good afternoon everyone

I hope you're well and having a good start to the week. Christmas is fast approaching and very soon we will be entering a new and hopefully better year. Sorry for the absence. Was celebrating my birthday over a week ago and had a great day with family. Thank you for your posts and messages. They are highly appeciated.

Now lets talk all things Chelsea. The Blues suffered only their second defeat of the season in the premier League at Everton on saturday evening after Gylfi Sigurðsson converted his penalty in the 22nd minute due to a foul on Dominic Calvett-Lewin by Edouard Mendy who rushed off his line and clattered into the England international. 

From there on Chelsea huffed and puffed but couldnt blow out the Toffees who defended resolutely till the final whistle. Despite the Blues creating more and dominating in possession Chelsea couldnt score a goal. To be honest the only player who can lift his head high is Reece James. The English right back crossed a lot of balls towards Giroud but unfortunately the French forward was handled quite well by Keane and Mina. 

By allowing Chelsea to have more of the ball, Frank Lampard played right into the trap set up by former Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti. At the same time we got a look at how the team looks without a recognised right winger as Ziyech, Pulisic and Hudson-Odoi are all injured and we arent sure when they'll return but hopeully its soon as the Blues travel to Wolverhampton on tuesday night where a victory could put them on top for at least 24 hours as Wednesday night Liverpool welcome Spurs to Anfield. The only positive is that teams around us dropped points as well so no one is running away with the league just yet. I think it'll be the tightest title race in decades. 

So its back to the drawing board for Frank Lampard and his men as they figure out how to stay consistent throughout the season. I'd start by finding a way to get more out of Kai Havertz. The German international hasnt been as brilliant as he can be but with time he can get better. Also Timo Werner needs to start scoring again but he'll come good in the end. They just need to get used to the EPL.

Oh and before I forget the draw for the last 16 of the Champions League was held this afternoon and Chelsea will face Athletico Madrid. Dates for the tie will be confirmed at 3pm CET this afternoon and this tie brings back good memories from 3 years ago when the Blues came from a goal down to win 2-1 and become the first English team to win at The Wanda Metropolitano. So will lightining strike the same place twice? We shall see in February.

In case you forgot what happened on that memorable night in Madrid, here's a reminder:


Once again thank you so much for reading my articles and as always if you'd like to discuss all things football feel free to contact me on social media.

Have a great week ahead ,Happy holidays and be safe

Ciao

Highlights from Saturday's match


Oh and the complete draw for the last 16:
Copyright Uefa.com



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