Chelsea boss Graham Potter made it three wins in a row with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Wolves on Saturday in the Premier League. Goals from Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic and Armando Broja sealed the deal for the Blues, lifting them up to fourth in the table.
On that note, here are the talking points from Chelsea’s win over Wolves at Stamford Bridge.
Graham Potter shows flexibility with team selection
Having beaten AC Milan 3-0 with a back-three formation on Wednesday, Graham Potter reverted to a flat back four on Saturday. A total of seven changes were made to the starting lineup from the Milan game, as Potter flexed his squad depth against Wolves.
Lining up in a 4-2-3-1 or what could also be viewed as a variation on a 4-4-2, Conor Gallagher featured on the right side of midfield and Mason Mount played just off Kai Havertz. In what was a fluid system, Jorginho and Ruben Loftus-Cheek teamed up in the double pivot, while Cesar Azpilicueta enjoyed acres of space to attack Wolves down the right flank.
Potter’s tactical flexibility and fluidity saw the Blues control the game for large periods of the afternoon and beat Wolves without even getting into second gear.
Conor Gallagher stars in midfield again
Conor Gallagher’s selection in the starting XI was one of those seven changes that Potter made against Wolves, rewarding the midfielder following his game-winning strike against Crystal Palace away last weekend.
And the Chelsea boss’ faith in Conor Gallagher richly paid off, as the England international ran the show for the home side at Stamford Bridge. Starting on the right side of midfield, Gallagher was given the license to roam freely, drive with the ball and take up dangerous positions in the final third.
The 22-year-old worked really hard on and off the ball, and his pressing forced the Wolves defenders to release the ball quickly, thereby, ceding possession on a number of occasions. It seems Gallagher has made quite an impression on Potter with back-to-back solid displays.
Wolves blunt in attack, again!
A poor run of form and results forced the Wolves board to sack Bruno Lage last weekend. With Lage gone, the club has appointed Steve Davis as the interim caretaker manager and, although there were several changes to his starting XI, the same old problems persisted.
Making his first Wolves start, Diego Costa, a one-time Stamford Bridge favourite, was left isolated for long periods of the game as he didn’t receive much support from midfielders and wide attackers before being substituted. Matheus Nunes was the Wanderers’ best player in the afternoon, but his grit, energy and tenacity wasn’t matched by his teammates.
Wolves never really took a control of the game and, barring Joao Moutinho’s free-kick in the first half which was punched away by Kepa, the visitors never really threatened the Chelsea backline.
