Chelsea Women return to action after their international break with a Saturday lunchtime trip up the storm-lashed motorway to face Aston Villa as they look to cement an excellent start to their season.
Emma Hayes has an ever-widening pool of fit players to pick from, with even third-choice keeper Hannah Hampton told that she is likely to be handed her debut in the coming weeks.
It’s a curious fact that the goalie, who turns 23 in a few days, has played more games for England than for the Blues, having been bought from, you’ve guessed it, Villa.
She’s raring to go, and Hayes admitted that she’d even considered putting Hampton between the sticks against Chelsea’s last opponents, Brighton. But her time will come, with insiders predicting that it may be Ann-Katrin Berger who slips down the pecking order at Kingsmeadow in the battle for the green jersey.
Men back on track
Meanwhile, the men's team achieved a much-needed win in the League Cup against a youthful and raucously supported Blackburn Rovers team on a wet and gusty Wednesday night.
The goals in the 2-0 victory came from Benoit Badiashile – a popular figure in the dressing room – and in-form Raheem Sterling, who made a succession of his trademark mazy runs to help the Blues into the quarter-finals.
The draw sees Chelsea host high-flying Newcastle United in the next round in mid-December at the Bridge – a fixture which already looks the pick of the games after the Magpies shocked Man Utd by defeating the Reds 3-0 at Old Trafford.
Morrie Pochettino is bullish, despite Chelsea’s rocky home form. “We are not in Europe, and that should be an opportunity for us,” he said after the game. “Of course we need to think that we can win this competition.”
Badiashile made a welcome return to the starting line-up, and was in the right place at the right time to stab home the opener after half an hour after Conor Gallagher had taken the Blues’ sixth corner of the match. Sterling made certain of the result on 59 minutes, interacting with the increasingly confident Cole Palmer to fire in a beauty past keeper Leopold Wahlstedt.
Palmer’s stock has been rising with every match, and he has become a huge fans’ favourite, earning a standing ovation when he was finally subbed with three minutes to go, giving teenager Alex Matos only his second appearance in a blue shirt.
But the biggest cheers were reserved for the full return of Reece James (wearing the captain’s armband) and a quite remarkable save from otherwise barely needed Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez who somehow clawed out Rovers’ best chance of a goal after Arnor Sigurdsson took a shot from close range in stoppage time.
Old lags like me who can recall England legend Gordon Banks pulling off a remarkable stop to deny Pele in 1970 noted similarities.
“Reece is an important player for us, he’s amazing. For me, one of the best full-backs in the world,” said Pochettino of his captain, who is being gently reintroduced to the first team after injury.
Ahead of any further League Cup dreaming, the Blues have a tricky visit to Spurs on Monday night before hosting Man City at the Bridge with yet another international interruption looming.
If they get any points at all against either Tottenham or City, fans will be delighted… and, frankly, amazed.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
