In an instant, the managerial struggles of last season were omitted from the memories of Blues fans. A better day could hardly have been envisioned for the home side; the spectators in glorious array and donning their iconic royal blue kits, a newly-laid pitch, mowed, watered, and awaiting the treading of new boots, and even a bit of afternoon sun in the west of London. As Mourinho took his seat at the Chelsea bench amidst the raucous stadium applause, the Chelsea starting lineup queued inside of the Stamford Bridge tunnel, ready to debut for a season that is sure to be memorable.
As is early on in the Premier League season, the most important task at hand is to secure three points per match. Chelsea was able to cruise past an un-answering Hull City side with a marvelous first half display that saw the Blues looking fit, skillful, and eager to fight for the 2013-14 Barclay's Premier League trophy. Goals from Oscar and Frank Lampard echoed the familiar-look Chelsea team that Mourinho is looking to implement on Blues fans, though an assist from new first-teamer Kevin De Bruyne as well as features from Romelu Lukaku, André Schürrle, and Marco van Ginkel showed signs of the new guard as well.
After a prestigious preseason spent touring Asia and the United States, playing both competitive and expedition-type matches, José Mourinho has already had some time to analyze his squad's strengths and weaknesses under pressure. Working with an immensely similar pool of players to that of last season's Roberto Di Matteo and Rafa Benitez, José Mourinho is determined to return the existing Chelsea team to the trophy-winning state that he left it in years ago. All eyes will be on the "Special One" in the coming months, weeks, and mere days, as Chelsea take on Aston Villa in just their second feature of the season this Wednesday on August 21.
Through the season, fans will keep their sights set on the Barclay's Premier League trophy, but for now it's breathing easy with today's cool and collected 2-0 win over Hull to start off the season with a crucial three points, bringing Mourinho's incredible unbeaten streak at The Bridge to 61 matches and Chelsea's Opening Day point count to a record 47 points.
A Look at Chelsea's Attack vs. the Hull City Tigers:
EDEN HAZARD: A+
Often responsible for "the pass before the pass," Eden Hazard is still contributing to his Chelsea team with the magical and creative midfield presence that he introduced to London just one year ago. Only 22 years of age, Eden Hazard's ease on the ball, deftness, touch, passing vision, speed, slight size, intricate ball-skills, and ability to read and beat defenders make him a complete package, and a notable man of the match for today's game. Hazard's ability to recognize when to engage players in meaningful combination plays gives the Chelsea midfield a spark of energy, cleverness, and composure, especially whilst missing Juan Mata, as the Spanish center-midfielder works to return to match fitness following the summer holiday and a slight injury. Match statistics revealed that the Belgian attempted 29 passes in the final third of the field throughout the match, an unsettling stat for the opposition's defense.
As he showed throughout the Asian and American tours this summer, and today in his left-wing role, Hazard's technical abilities have only improved since his arrival at The Bridge last summer from Lille in France. As he unites with José Mourinho, fans should look to see how the Special One uses his talent, especially in the left-winger position where Mourinho recently coached the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo. Hazard is ever-showing signs of becoming one of the world's most dangerous attacking midfielders, and this 2013-14 season could see him shine even more.
ANDRÉ SCHÜRRLE: A
A super-sub indeed, André Schürrle did not take the pitch until the 67th minute, but was able to muster several threatening passes, high pressure on the Hull City defense, and a few shots on-goal that missed by only fractional margins. His bold burst of attacking play upon entering the pitch caused Hull to dwindle off of the ball, allowing Chelsea to regain signs of their first half performance well into the closing minutes of the match.
As he showed two weeks ago in Chelsea's preseason fixture against AC Milan, where he scored an injury-time volley to secure the Blues' stylish semifinal win over the Italian giants, Schürrle is not one to slow down near the end of matches. That spark coming off of the bench late in the match was exactly what was needed today for Chelsea to finish off with composure and a clean sheet, and is only a glimpse of the depth and talent of the squad that Mourinho will have available to him this season. The young German international only signed with the club earlier this summer, but can count on playing a major role in the Blues' ever-growing pool of talented midfielders. It will be interesting to see where Mourinho deems his talent most effective and necessary, as such a versatile attacker, and perhaps his impressive performance today will earn him a start in Wednesday's match against Villa.
FRANK LAMPARD: A-
What more is there to say about Super Frank? Playing in his record 18th Premier League Opening Day fixture, the Chelsea legend was likely pleased to get the start, since recently recovering from an Achilles problem he battled through preseason, and equally as pleased to begin the club's tenure under Mourinho's reign once more. Lampard was summoned to action immediately in the match, after Fernando Torres won a penalty early on, and to the delight of Blues fans, the 35-year-old took his rightful place at the penalty spot, looking likely to secure the first goal of Chelsea's 2013-14 season. Hull City goalkeeper Allan McGregor's incredible read of Lampard's stance and run-up, and his resulting save, was essentially unavoidable, though disappointing none-the-less as the managers, squad, and fans were distraught not to see the Blues' all-time scorer add to his goal-count.
However, it was not long before Lampard's efforts were rewarded, when in the 26th minute of play he expertly capitalized off of a free-kick from over thirty yards out, astonishing the crowd both within the stadium and watching from afar. The trajectory and stunning dip of the ball added the classic Lampard flair to the goal and gave Blues all the more reason to celebrate.
Especially due to his role in the old guard from Mourinho's first managerial stint at the club, José will probably look to get Frank playing as many minutes as possible and testing his fitness this season. Though he did show a few signs of possible fatigue, perhaps from his ongoing Achilles recovery or his international duties at midweek, his reliable playmaking, vision, lethal strike, and leadership presence made Frank Lampard's display today one that will keep Chelsea fans crossing their fingers for him remain a Blue for many years to come.
FERNANDO TORRES: B+
The Spaniard looked aglow as he took the pitch for the Blues side today, getting a start in the first official match of the second Mourinho era. Throughout the entire first half, Torres created a marvelous presence in the Chelsea attack and served as a real threat to the Hull City defense, finding splitting passes and deft layoffs that kept the Tigers on their toes. It was merely in the fifth minute of play that Torres' work began to pay off, when the Blue earned a penalty following a rather panicked clearance attempt by Hull's Allan McGregor; during which the 'keeper managed to knock Torres in the side of the head. Unfortunately for the Blues, it was not long before McGregor redeemed himself from his earlier doozy by expertly stopping the Frank Lampard penalty kick to follow.
Fernando Torres' work-rate in the number nine role remains unmatched, though his vision and efficiency seemed to be magnified today when he dropped into somewhat of a central attacking midfield position. The role gave him more space to cause trouble for the Hull City defense, who seemed wary of the attacker as he dribbled through them with expertise on a number of occasions. Perhaps under Mourinho, Torres will undergo somewhat of a role change that can maximize his abilities; his speed and scintillating passing skills showed potential for a provider-type role, and football fans worldwide will be curious to see how he'll continue to evolve this season.
As a team, the intensity of Chelsea's attack dropped off significantly in the second half, due to large gaps in the midfield that allowed for Hull to see more of the ball. However, based on his first half performance and 30-minute second half contribution before making way for Romelu Lukaku in the 75th minute, Torres showed quality, pace, and an impressive amount of precision and vision for the Blues today.
KEVIN DE BRUYNE: B
The young Belgian international produced an excellent display, making good use of the start granted to him as a result of his impressive preseason performances and even more astonishing feature for Belgium during Wednesday's international break. Paired with Oscar, Fernando Torres, and compatriot Eden Hazard, De Bruyne blossomed during today's match, threading a slick split pass in to Oscar in the 11th minute for Chelsea's first goal of the 2013-14 season. He shows an ability to adapt quickly to his teammates, the opposition, and his position, and he did well in an attacking role on the right flank. A few misplaced passes and loss of pace, likely due to tired legs from the international break, could have been Mourinho's reasoning for his exit from the match near the 70th minute, or merely to allow Schürrle, his replacement, to acquire some minutes under his belt.
De Bruyne is a pacy winger, clever with the ball, and has a marvelous shot; one with which he doesn't mind sizing up a go at goal with. His confidence is an admiral quality to have as a young player working his way into first-team play. With continued exposure to first-team situations, increased play time with the talent and experience of the rest of the squad, De Bruyne will hopefully continue the bold, attacking style of play that he showed today and become a staple in the Chelsea midfield.
OSCAR: A-
Following the early disappointment of McGregor's phenomenal save of Frank Lampard's penalty shot, it was the Samba Boy who opened up the scoring for the Blues' 2013-14 Premier League season in the 13th minute. Fans who followed Chelsea's run in the International Champions Cup earlier this month got a feeling of pleasant déjà vu, as it was the young Brazilian International who opened Chelsea's scoring in that competition as well. Fully-recovered from his championship-winning run with the Seleção earlier this summer at the Confederations Cup, the 21-year-old featured heavily throughout the second half of Chelsea's preseason and has seemingly impressed Mourinho, getting the start in the central attacking midfield role several times over the course of recent weeks.
Looking a more mature player since arriving at the club just one year ago, Oscar is captivating the attention of fans and looking like he could be the full-package midfielder Chelsea is looking for. He has an innate ability to score from distance as well as finish with good placement, as he demonstrated today, and cohere with his fellow midfielders in passing sequences. Like much of Chelsea's offense, his second-half performance was less intense than that of the first half, likely due to the ongoing recovery of featuring for Brazil earlier this week. Overall, Oscar continued to serve as a purposeful box-to-box center-mid throughout the match, until replaced by Marco van Ginkel late on.
BRANISLAV IVANOVIĆ:
Looking in recent weeks just as determined to score goals as defend them, Branislav Ivanović is working back into the role of starting right defender for Chelsea, the position he rotates through along with César Azpilicueta, who was not a part of today's match squad due to fitness concerns. Ivanović has shown exceptional amounts of versatility and desire during preseason's final weeks and his efforts only continued to pay off today. Along with John Terry and Gary Cahill, Ivanović used his size to cause a massive threat for the Hull City defense on Chelsea's set-piece opportunities, rising above everyone for three attempts on target, the same number of goal attempts as attacking center-mid, Oscar.
As they did last season, the Chelsea defenders showed versatility in the offensive half; John Terry, shortly before the halftime break, saw one of his headed efforts bullet precisely on-frame for what a number of fans thought was a goal. However, newly-installed goal-line technology assured that the header was indeed saved most-remarkably by Allan McGregor. It was then, in the flurry of the header, save, and goal validation that the loose ball fell to Branislav Ivanović, who presumably attempted a bicycle kick that sailed just barely over the cross-bar.
It was the 29-year-old's ball movement and offensive work that made him a standout performer today, as Hull hardly pressured Chelsea's right wing enough to require his defensive services extensively. Ivanović's attacking and crossing ability from the right flank, size and aerial presence, combined with his pace and ability to recover on defense and maintain high pressure on opposing attackers resulted in a magnificent performance from the Serb, and it appears likely that he will take up the role of the Chelsea wing-back this season, to allow him the freedom and movement to do the attacking he so loves.
OTHER PLAYERS OF NOTABLE MENTION:
ASHLEY COLE: B
The Englishman contributed to a number of explosive bouts of play along the left wing, participating in combination passing plays with Eden Hazard to attack in on goal. Despite a few clumsy giveaways and let-downs offensively, his defensive efforts were generally solid and left little room for Hull's advances, especially when they began to piece together a more dangerous, crossing-and-finishing based attack in the second half. Chelsea's defense were able to gain an aerial advantage on the Hull offense, clearing 23 out of 26 cross-attempts from the danger area, the other three likely claimed by Petr Čech, and Cole played a significant role in playing the ball collectedly out from the defense to spark quick Chelsea attacks. He and compatriots John Terry and Gary Cahill continue to serve as the trusty English defense that Chelsea are so proud to boast, and the trio worked well together towards an eventual clean-sheet for the Blues.
RAMIRES: B+
Adapting now to a more attacking role under José Mourinho, Ramires capped of his preseason with a glorious chip in Chelsea's 3-1 loss to Real Madrid during the International Champions Cup, hosted in the United States. However, the midfielder featured against Hull alongside Frank Lampard in the holding midfield role rather than on the wing. He led the Chelsea attack in passing accuracy, completing 66 of his 72 passes during the course of the match, and caused the Hull City midfield and defense a complete nightmare, leading them to foul him rather clumsily numerous times. His personal second half performance was more subdued than was seen in the first half of play, likely due to the continued fouls- called and uncalled- that continued to be implemented against him, but overall the Brazilian attacker had a solid match for the Blues.
OVERVIEW:
Overall, Chelsea's first performance of the season is one that will surely leave José Mourinho pleased, though looking to improve. They will take up fourth place in the table, despite being level on points with the three teams ahead of them, with a goal differential of two. In third place, after their remarkable 3-1 rout over Arsenal, is Aston Villa; Wednesday's opponent. Mourinho will look to field a strong, skillful, and physically fit side to face the Villains, who are confident following their season-opener. With three points recorded, players recovering and improving their fitness, and fans worldwide looking forward to life under the Special One once more, Chelsea FC will aim to make Mourinho's latest tenure as a Blue as successful as his first.