On TNT Glenn Hoddle is talking empathetically about Mauricio Pochettino, the latest of his many successors as Chelsea manager. “He needs to know who his five or six big players are,” Hoddle says. “You need a spine. I don’t think he’s really got that yet.” But he and Joe Cole agree that another change of manager is not the answer.
“I’ve seen enough in Chelsea’s performances to believe that they can turn this round,” Hoddle goes on. “Next season starts now … They’ll be better next season than this.”
It’s already been a bad night for Chelsea. They went out of the Women’s Champions League as Barcelona turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 win.
“Good to see George Washington on the bench for Chelsea,” says Drew Chappell. “Maybe he can be the experienced leader they’ve craved all season.”
“What exactly did Dyche do to his tracksuit,” asks Brendan Large, “before he started wearing it to matches? That is now three wins in a row whilst he’s been wearing it.”
This game pitches two of the top three goalscorers in the Premier League against each other. And if you take assists into account as well, it’s both of the top two.
For goals, Cole Palmer is level with Erling Haaland on 20, one up on Ollie Watkins. For assists, Watkins leads the way with 12, while Palmer is fourth-equal with nine. So, for goals and assists combined, it’s Watkins on top with 31, Palmer second with 29, and Haaland in the shade on 25, just behind Mo Salah on 26.
In other news, Everton have avoided relegation. They needed three points today and got them by beating Brentford 1-0 with a goal from Idrissa Gueye. Since capitulating at Chelsea, Everton have had three games at Goodison Park and won them all without conceding once. Everton go 15th, above Brentford: it were not for the points deductions, they’d be level with Brighton.
We have an email. “What does it mean,” wonders Stephen Taylor, “‘if the FA gets its way’?” Sorry not to be clear – I was referring to this story.
Aston Villa (possible 4-4-1-1) Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Bailey, Tielemans, Douglas Luiz, Rogers; McGinn; Watkins.
Subs: Olsen, Lenglet, Chambers, Hayden, Diego Carlos, Iroegbunam, Kellyman, Diaby, Duran.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1) Petrovic; Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Badiashile, Cucurella; Caicedo, Gallagher (capt); Madueke, Palmer, Mudryk; Jackson.
Subs: Bettinelli, Curd, Disasi, Chilwell, Acheampong, Gilchrist, Dyer, Casadei, George, Washington.
Referee Craig Pawson.
Cole Palmer, who was enough of a doubt to be in italics on our predicted line-ups, has been passed fit, so he starts. No sign of Raheem Sterling. For Villa, Douglas Luiz replaces Moussa Diaby.
Evening everyone and welcome to the last game of the day in the Premier League. It’s fourth against ninth, and they both know what they’re up against as they have already met three times this season.
So far there hasn’t been anything for the home crowds to celebrate. Villa won 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in the league as a goal from Ollie Watkins followed a red card for Malo Gusto. In the FA Cup, it was 0-0 at the Bridge before Chelsea went to Villa Park and won 3-1, with a flourish, in a match that, if the FA gets its way, will be the last of its kind for either side.
That was the start of Chelsea’s best spell of the season, a run of 12 games in which the only taste of defeat was the bitter one that came in the dying minutes of the League Cup final. Now they’re in a rather different place, after losing narrowly to Man City in the FA Cup and heavily to Arsenal in the league – though, in between, they did manage to beat Everton 6-0.
On league form there is nothing to separate these two sides. Since Christmas, both have won exactly half their games. And both have 11 points from their past six, which (at 5.15pm today) was enough to put them above everybody in the form table bar City, Arsenal and Newcastle. Let’s face it: we’ve reached the stage of the season when everyone is knackered and anything can happen.
Kick-off is at 8pm BST and I’ll be back soon with the teams.
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