Chelsea vs. Schalke: Winners and Losers from Champions League Game
Chelsea and Schalke kicked off their respective Champions League campaigns with a closely contested 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.
A well-worked but contentious Cesc Fabregas goal had given the Blues a first-half lead, his superb run and finish allowed despite a clear foul on Max Meyer in the build-up.
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar—booked for protesting Chelsea's opener—drew Schalke level just after the hour mark. Having helped dispossess Fabregas, he fired in down the other end after a great run by Julian Draxler.
After their poor start to domestic affairs in Germany, Schalke will be pleased with a point at the Premier League table-toppers. Chelsea will be left to rue a clutch of missed chances that might have earned them the win.
Read on for winners and losers from this Group G encounter.
Winner: Draxler Comes to the Fore to Lift Schalke Spirits
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Eden Hazard was just as impressive for Chelsea at times. The Belgium star set up Cesc Fabregas' opener and was among his team's liveliest threats, a near constant menace with his dribbling and devastating turn of pace.
On this night, though, it was Julian Draxler—performing a similar function for Schalke—who deserved the plaudits.
A winless start to the season had left the mood at the Gelsenkirchen club glum to say the least. Last weekend's 4-1 defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach was particularly poor.
Not fit enough to start that one, Draxler was unsurprisingly ready to go in west London. He took his time coming to life, but once he had, his contributions provided a galvanising effect.
Confined mostly to shots from long-range in the opening half-hour or so, a run from the Germany international late in the first period showed what Schalke might be capable of.
Picking the ball up at the halfway line, Draxler raced towards the Chelsea box through a crowd of defenders scared to make a challenge for risk of giving away a penalty. He shot just wide, but it served to lift his team's spirits.
Those spirits were further lifted when Draxler launched the break that brought Klaas-Jan Huntelaar's goal, a strike that resulted from another blistering run from 20-year-old Julian.
Others had their moments in attack for Schalke. Indeed, Huntelaar and Kevin-Prince Boateng were particularly busy.
After a tough start to 2014-15, though, the team needed their star man to shine. That he certainly did.
Loser: Drogba Selection Did Not Pay off for Chelsea
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Didier Drogba's status as a Chelsea legend was cemented in his first spell. So anything else he does following his return will be a bonus.
Still working his way into this campaign, there will certainly be better to come from the striker. After a frustrating night back under the Stamford Bridge floodlights, however, his manager, Jose Mourinho, might wonder if the decision to start him on this occasion was wrong (although he told Chelsea's official Twitter page otherwise).
The effort was there from Drogba, but it came across more like he was toiling than grafting.
His enduring ability to get away from defenders when presented with the right chances was fleetingly seen—a decent first-half header from a Luis Filipe cross, a post-interval effort flashed just wide—yet it was also marked by a lack of sharpness in his finishing. The failure to convert a Willian cross from close-range will especially play on his mind tonight.
The trademark hustle and bustle was on display, just lacking the production to back it up.
Drogba was replaced by Diego Costa on the 74th minute. The decision to rest the in-form Spain international up until then was not without merit from Mourinho. But, perhaps given his greater match readiness (he scored against Swansea City this past weekend), Loic Remy would have been the better choice to start.
It would have necessitated Chelsea adapting their game slightly to accommodate Remy's less battle-oriented game. But with ample support from Fabregas, Hazard and Willian it would not have left Chelsea too lacking.
Winner: Schalke's Defence Remembered How to Do Their Job
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An injury to Benedikt Howedes meant Jens Keller was going to have to tweak his defence somewhat from Saturday's embarrassing loss to Borussia Monchengladbach. In general, he set his team up to play more pragmatically than they did in that previous reckless display.
It seems, the team remembered how to defend in the process.
The back four of Marco Hoger, Kaan Ayhan, Roman Neustadter and Christian Fuchs looked particularly stable.
They held their own against Drogba and often stood firm in the face of the threatening Hazard.
The penetrative runs of Willian and Branislav Ivanovic caused them problems at times, while an unmarked Remy threatened with a chance late on. Despite these moments, a draw and just one goal conceded was a marked improvement on the Monchengladbach debacle.
All over Schalke's closing down was more concentrated, their positioning more organised. If Keller can bring this out of them in the Bundesliga they should soon find their form there.
Loser: Mistakes Are Still Proving Costly for Chelsea
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Given Chelsea had conceded two goals in each of their last two games, letting one go was a minor improvement. Of course, this will be no consolation to Mourinho, who will be concerned at his team's continued habit of shooting themselves in the foot.
Their attack more than got them out of trouble in the wins over Everton and Leicester City.
Here, they were unable to regain the lead after Huntelaar and Draxler combined to dispossess Fabregas in an advanced position, went down the other end and scored.
The goal was as much down to the great play of the Schalke pair as the error from Fabregas. They took advantage of the space presented winning the ball in such a position, cutting the backtracking Chelsea defenders apart superbly.
Nonetheless, Mourinho will be keen for his team to avoid getting into such situations in the first place.
While he spoke on Chelsea's Twitter page of the failure to take chances as being costly, the lack of concentration down the other end clearly remains an issue.
Winner: Group G May Not Be a Foregone Conclusion After All
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With Maribor and Sporting Lisbon also playing out a 1-1 draw on Wednesday night, Group G remains very much open.
The expectation is Chelsea's group of experienced winners and superb young talent will eventually come good in qualifying for the knockout round.
Yet, their continued efforts to replicate their superiority from the Premier League will for now at least give the others hope of capitalising on any remaining growing pains.
Schalke have proved to themselves what they are capable of. If they can get wins over Maribor and Sporting, the notion of taking more points off Chelsea will not sound far-fetched to them after tonight.
It is up to the English club to reaffirm their perceived authority and dispel such notions when they take on Sporting later this month. For now, those three teams and neutrals can dream of a little more excitement to come in Group G.
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