Andre Villas-Boas will be looking for back-to-back wins as Norwich City travel to Stamford Bridge this Saturday. Chelsea struggled to break down a stubborn West Brom last week but Norwich are a far more attack-minded side and goals look sure to be on the agenda. Paul Lambert’s outfit are still unbeaten after two rounds of league fixtures, with a last-minute Kenwyne Jones goal denying them a win over Stoke last Sunday.
Likely Line-Ups
While the hosts will be delighted with the signing of Juan Mata from Valencia, it’s uncertain whether the Spaniard will play any part this weekend. David Luiz may return from injury to take his place alongside John Terry in the heart of the back-four, with Alex unimpressive against the Baggies. Florent Malouda should start this time round, having come on as a sub for the ineffectual Salomon Kalou to score the winner against Roy Hodgson’s side. Didier Drogba may replace Fernando Torres up front after a poor performance from the Spaniard last time out.
Paul Lambert changed tactics for the Canaries previous game with Stoke. Norwich normally play a midfield diamond but Lambert opted for a standard 4-4-2 against the Potters on Sunday. With Chelsea’s full-backs pushing on from deep, Lambert may choose to keep 4-4-2 for the Stamford Bridge showdown to prevent his side from being overrun out wide. Playmaker Wes Hoolahan may return after being benched at the weekend, while vice-captain Russell Martin is fighting it out with Kyle Naughton for the right-back slot. Steve Morison could return to partner skipper Grant Holt up front for the Canaries, though with Lambert having started just five of the same players in his first two games, a few surprises may be in store when his starting XI is announced.
De Laet and Terry
While Man United’s youthful side have been grabbing the headlines for their recent performances, another of Sir Alex Ferguson’s youngsters is currently excelling at Carrow Road. On-loan Ritchie de Laet has proven himself to be a key member of Paul Lambert’s side already and with that in mind, let’s compare his stats to Chelsea skipper John Terry, his opposite number this weekend
Terry edges it on tackles per game (3 to 2) but the pair are equal for both interceptions and clearances, with 1 and 7 respectively. De Laet has made more blocks per game (1.5 to Terry’s 0.5), though the Chelsea man has a slightly superior aerial success, winning 55% of duels to De Laet’s 50%.
Terry has also been more precise in possession, with a 91% pass accuracy to 83% but De Laet has been the greater goal threat, with 0.5 shots per game to Terry’s 0. The Norwich player has also found the net this season and as a result, has a better WhoScored.com match average, by 7.08 to 7.00.
Chelsea’s Attacking Full-Backs
Ashley Cole and Jose Bosingwa have played a major part in Chelsea’s forward play so far this season. Bombing on from deep, they add plenty to the side’s attacking play, offering just as much offensively as they have at the back. Cole has been slightly more effective defensively, with 1 tackle and 3 interceptions per game compared to Bosingwa’s 2.5 and 0.5 respectively, but the latter has been better in the opposition half. Bosingwa has managed 2 key passes and 2.5 successful dribbles in comparison to Cole’s 1.5 key passes and 1 successful dribble, and with Bosingwa picking up an assist in the win over West Brom, he has a WhoScored.com average of 7.68 per match to Cole's 7.17
Key Battle
A look at the attack sides graphic from last week’s win over West Brom shows Chelsea had 38% of attacks from the left and 36% from the right. It was from the right that they inflicted the most damage, though, and with Nicolas Anelka ahead of Jose Bosingwa, Norwich left-back Marc Tierney looks set for a busy Saturday.
Anelka has scored 1 goal and averaged 3.5 shots per game, far and away the biggest goal threat from Villas-Boas’ side. He has also averaged 0.5 successful dribbles per game and has a pass accuracy of 73%, with a WhoScored.com rating of 7.25 indicative of his solid performances.
Tierney has been busy at the back, averaging 3.5 tackles per game, as well as 0.5 interceptions and 3 clearances. His distribution has been steady, with a 77% pass accuracy, though with little offered going forward, he’s earned a rating of 6.51 per game. With the Chelsea right flank looking dangerous, Tierney will have to up his game considerably if Norwich are to escape from Stamford Bridge with any kind of positive outcome.
