70 2GM Wednesday February 23 2022 | the times
SportChampions League
Chelsea (3-4-2-1): É Mendy 6 — A Christensen 6,
T Silva 8, A Rüdiger 7 — C Azpilicueta 6, N Kanté
7, M Kovacic 7 (R Loftus-Cheek 51min, 6),
M Alonso 6 (M Sarr 80) — H Ziyech 7 (S Ñíguez
60, 6), C Pulisic 7 (T Werner 80) — K Havertz 8.
Booked Loftus-Cheek.
Lille (4-3-3) L Jardim 6 — Z Celik 6, J Fonte 6,
S Botman 7, T Djaló 6 (G Gudmundsson 76) —
A Onana 6 (B Yilmaz 65), Xeka 6, B André 6 —
R Sanches 8 (H Ben Arfa 81), J David 6
(E Zhegrova 81), J Bamba 7. Booked Ben Arfa.
Referee J Manzano (Sp). Attendance 38,832.Chelsea
Havertz 8, Pulisic 63Lille
2
0
Havertz answers call for a
forward of style and guile
Henry Winter
Chief Football
Writer
tioning and reading of the game. He
twice stepped in front of Amadou
Onana to intercept. He looked mildly
concerned about Alonso’s failure to get
back to deal with Jonathan Bamba and
cruised across to block across from the
French attacker.
With the clock showing 63 minutes,
Kanté broke through the middle, taking
a pass from Silva, covering the ground
so quickly and staying ahead of Xeka.
Fonte and Botman stepped towards
Kanté, who calmly slipped it to his left
for the overlapping Pulisic. As Jardim
sprinted out and committed himself,
Pulisic opened his body and placed his
shot right-footed over the ’keeper as
Fonte unsuccessfully dived in. Botman,
the tall Dutch centre back linked with
Newcastle United, threw his arms up in
the air in frustration. Everyone rushed
to celebrate with Pulisic but this was as
much about Kanté’s magnificent march
upfield.
As Chelsea fans sang of being
champions of the world, and having
won it all, the Silva defensive master-
class continued. As a ball dropped from
the cold night sky, Silva watched it all
the way, taking it on his chest, ignoring
the substitute Burak Yilmaz, the 36-
year-old Turkish international. When
Yilmaz then stormed down the right,
Silva again intercepted.
A fan ran on at the end, trying to
greet Silva, beseeching him for his shirt,
but the pitch-invader slipped, and the
great Brazilian wandered past and
headed towards a child in the East
Stand before handing his shirt over.
Havertz strolled past too, clutching shin
pads the size of playing cards, and
lobbed his shirt into the throng and
walked on. Next up for him is Virgil van
Dijk.Round of 16, first leg
Lukaku keeps straight face as Havertz scores with fifth touch
Mason Mount couldn’t hide his elation
as team-mate Kai Havertz put Chelsea
ahead after eight minutes. Romelu
Lukaku, who was dropped to the
bench to make way for Havertz, was
less effusive. Chelsea’s record signing
was criticised for having only seven
touches in the whole game against
Crystal Palace on Saturday. Havertz
made a lively start last night and
could have had two goals before
finding the net with his fifth touch.
Second leg: Wednesday, March 16
Lille (0) v Chelsea (2)Havertz heads
Chelsea in
front on a
smooth night
for the holdersT
he buzz at Stamford Bridge
has been around the jinx
afflicting their centre
forwards, with arguably only
Didier Drogba and Diego
Costa emerging as esteemed, reliable
and beloved in the Roman
Abramovich era.
The fans have tried to coax Romelu
Lukaku towards cult hero status, but
the Belgium striker has resolutely
failed to respond and last night
started on the bench. This did not
leave a void, however, for if you want
to see Chelsea cult heroes in action
then you need look no further than
Thiago Silva and Antonio Rüdiger.
Many Chelsea sides, and
particularly this version under
It must have made painful viewing for
Romelu Lukaku, sitting there on the
bench, but Chelsea’s movement and
pressing was better with Kai Havertz
leading the line than with their record
£97 million signing. Havertz’s pace,
workrate and intelligent movement
was too much for Lille here at Stamford
Bridge last night and they failed to track
his run for his headed goal.
Havertz was not the best player on
the pitch. Thiago Silva was. The Brazil
centre back was magnificent, giving
another masterclass in the art of read-
ing opposing attacks and then snuffing
them out. Havertz was not even the
second best player on the pitch. That
was N’Golo Kanté, the little world
champion at club and national level,
whose runs from deep in the second
half caused constant alarms in the
French side’s defence, even leading to
Christian Pulisic’s second-half goal.
But Havertz’s success as a No 9, play-
ing up against José Fonte and Sven
Botman, was the story of the night —
the most significant element given
Lukaku’s seven-touch display against
Crystal Palace.
Playing this system, 3-4-2-1, suits
Chelsea as it brings the best out of
Pulisic, tucked in on the left and swift to
support Havertz. But it was Havertz’s
performance in attack that constantly
caught the eye — the way he pressed,
the stealthy and swift movement into
optimum position.
Havertz constantly showed for the
ball, he was prepared to take it to feet or
run in behind on a night when Thomas
Tuchel was vindicated in his decision to
omit Lukaku. The biggest concerns for
Tuchel were the injuries sustained by
Mateo Kovacic and Hakim Ziyech in
advance of Sunday’s EFL Cup final
against Liverpool.
Inevitably, all eyes were on Havertz,
who struck after only eight minutes.
Lukaku was on the bench — “tired”
according to Tuchel, but clearly
omitted. Tuchel’s decision to get tough
with Chelsea’s record signing meant
Havertz had his chance and he seized it
in style.
As seen in the Champions League
final, Havertz’s movement was
outstanding, and he could have had a
hat-trick in the opening ten minutes.
Chelsea’s attacks were so swift and even
occasionally switched sides, such as
when Antonio Rüdiger transferred play
from left to right, César Azpilicueta
crossed and Havertz rather wastefully
steered the ball over. But the run was
good, the intention was positive.
Pulisic was enjoying this slightly
freer role, tucking in on the left, given
even more licence to roam by Tuchel’s
wing backs, Azpilicueta and Marcos
Alonso, playing so high up. The United
States star suddenly appeared towards
the right, finding Havertz, who worked
the ball on to his left foot and brought a
sprawling save from Léo Jardim.
The Lille fans in the corner of the
Shed and East Stand cheered their
’keeper’s agility but it was at the ex-
pense of a corner and Chelsea got the
full reward. On the day of all the twos,
Ziyech, Chelsea’s No 22, curled the ball
out. Lille clearly didn’t expect the threatto emanate from Havertz. He bided his
time on the edge of the area, as Chel-
sea’s other players made their moves.
Silva attacked and Jonathan David
tried to go with him, Azpilicueta made
his move and was greeted by a wrestling
Fonte. Alonso charged goalwards,
tracked by Botman. It was the dance of
the strong-arm men.
And then Havertz darted in, arrow-
ing between space created by Silva,
Alonso and Azpilicueta. The road to
goal opened up, and the unchecked
Havertz sprinted through, meeting
Ziyech’s corner firmly, heading down
and in past Jardim.
After this perfect fast start, Chelsea
should have maintained their grip, and
they played neatly enough up for the
rest of the half but without their earlier
urgency. Lille settled and Renato
Sanches began displaying his vaunted
ability, driving forward from midfield,
particularly down the inside-right
channel. Sanches’s £60 million move
from Benfica to Bayern Munich in 2016
should have been his launchpad to the
stars, but his career drifted. He went to
Swansea City but the 24-year-old has
revived his career at Lille. The talent is
still there. Sanches cut in from the right,
and delivered the ball left-footed into
the area, panicking Rüdiger. The
German slashed at the ball, slicing it
over Édouard Mendy’s bar.
Silva was rather more composed.
Chelsea needed the Brazilian’s posi-Silva and Rüdiger give Chelsea true strength of purpose
Thomas Tuchel, revolve around the
strength of personality of their
defenders. While it has been the wing
backs who have scintillated for the
most part under the German head
coach, last night it was the turn of the
central defenders. Lille at times
bombarded the home side but did it
ever feel as if the French club
would triumph? No. This was
because of the intelligence,
experience and composure of the
back three and in particular Silva
and Rüdiger.
At one juncture, Silva
blocked a shot that
emerged from a frenetic
scramble in front of goal
and then, realising he
would need to do more,
raced out to head clear the
subsequent attempted
cross. He is 37 and knows
when it is necessary to
conserve energy and
when it is time to dash to
the rescue.Glenn Hoddle, commentating for
BT Sport, used a curious analogy
about age opening the curtains but
you could see what the former
Chelsea manager meant. Silva is the
wizard who stares into the dark deep
pool and sees the future where less
experienced men see only
tadpoles and algae.
His relationship with
Rüdiger is one of strong
mutual respect. The manner
in which Rüdiger, Silva and
Édouard Mendy, the
Chelsea goalkeeper,
embraced after Chelsea’s
second goal spoke of
camaraderie within
camaraderie, of a
defensive unit thatknows it forms the foundation for
much of what is good about the
Chelsea attack.
Silva was a free signing of
incredible worth at a club that rather
like spending big and the rapport he
has with the supporters is
heartwarming. Those same fans love
Rüdiger too. The Germany defender
has summoned more shots than any
other centre half in the Premier
League this season, he delivers a
mean through-ball and is defensively
imposing. Sometimes, particularly
when the team are enmeshed in one
of their more plodding displays —
and this tie was not at all one of those
— it seems as if everyone watching is
holding their breath for the moment
when Rüdiger will take the match by
the scruff of the neck and enliven it
with a storming run or a vicious,
optimistic strike.
His deal with the club runs out in
the summer, which makes one
assume that he must have hit 30, the
age at which the club want only to betied to a one-year commitment. The
international defender is, though, 28
and seemingly in his prime.
Rüdiger gives a complex Chelsea
team their on-field quirkiness without
ever losing sight of his main job.
There are too few at the Bridge who
one could truly call an extrovert and
even César Azpilicueta, the captain,
leads quietly and sensibly.
The most remarkable element to
the fondness felt towards the German
is that it came so close to ending in
tears for him at the Bridge. He was
not a player always trusted by Frank
Lampard and the rumblings that it
was Rüdiger who hastened the
departure of the popular former
midfielder might have left a sour taste
were it not for the manner in which
he has blossomed, unruffled, under
Tuchel, offering a refreshing
flexibility depending on the system
his coach chooses to play.
Don’t laugh at Lukaku, Tuchel said.
Instead we should beam in
admiration at his central defenders.Rüdiger brings authority
to the Chelsea defenceAlyson Rudd