A disappointing draw at home to West Brom. Games this Chelsea side should be winning, and would have won last season.
But this Chelsea team is a different one to last year and it almost isn’t a surprise that West Brom twice found equalisers at The Bridge.
Chelsea are either in limbo or in transition. I can’t decide which, maybe it’s both.
Hiddink, here for the remainder of the season almost certainly won’t be here next season and as for the players well your guess is as good as mine.
What the remaining games left does give the players, particularly those on the fringe, is an opportunity to put their case forward for a regular first team spot.
Those that have notably upped their game are two of the younger group. Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Kenedy.
Kenedy in particular is showing his skill, speed and maturity – half a season playing games in the Premier League will only allow him to improve and gain invaluable experience.
Baba Rahman was the name on everyone’s lips when he join for 15 million in the summer as a backup to our two solid full backs, Azpilicueta and Ivanovic.
However Mourinho only trusted Rahman in the Champions League leading to big questions over his signing. Whereas Kenedy has clearly shown enough, to both Mourinho and now Hiddink, that he can play a greater part in the ultra competitive Premier League.
Praise indeed.
While the goal almost certainly won’t be credited to Kenedy, he was the one who caused McAuley to put it past his own goalkeeper. His all round play was impressive on an underwhelming night for most Chelsea players.
Yes there’s much work to be done but isn’t it encouraging to see the youth take their chance.
And there are many more waiting in the wings. If I was to put my money somewhere, it would be on Bamford to get some game time under Hiddink in the near future.
Trying to take positives from a 2-2 draw at home to West Brom isn’t an easy thing, but Kenedy showed last night that if he keeps this level of performance up he can genuinely be one of the breakthrough players in a season to forget for The Blues.
