Dugout Discussion – Brighton vs Man City

If anyone's interested, I watched the Chelsea match as a neutral, and whilst the negatives can be debated for days, I thought I'd list some of the positives I saw.

1. Despite their defensive shortcomings, Alonso was a constant attacking threat throughout and will easily justify his 7mil price tag this season.

2. Say what you will about the price tag or lack of premier league experience, however Morata WILL score plenty goals this season. He's a natural finisher both in the air and by foot who has the intelligence to read the play, take up clever positions, and make smart runs. I can't see how he won't score goals.

3. Willian was a constant threat and saw a lot of the ball. Along with Alonso he was one of very few positives for Chelsea, so if he can see more game time he could also justify the 7mil outlay.

4. Brady for Burnley was very impressive and a constant threat. He could really be this seasons Mahrez if he continues to put in performances like that, so a possible bargain at 5.5mil.

5. The end scoreline don't really tell the full story regarding Burnley's defence. Whilst Chelsea dominated possession for large parts, particularly in the second half, Burnley's defence for the most part was well organised and limited Chelsea to taking numerous pop shots in an attempt to score.

This was much more evident in the first half with Chelsea having very few opportunities to even get inside the 18 yard box and create any meaningful attempts. Chelsea stepped up the pressure in the second half, and as a result they were able to get into the box more often, however many of their attempts inside the box were still often blocked with vigor from the Burnley defense.

It took two late lapses in concentration for Chelsea to score, and on the balance of play it was probably deserved, but I have no doubt that if Burnley put in similar performances moving forward they will no doubt again be the budget defensive options of choice when playing at home, and even improve on last season's less stellar away form against the mid to bottom sides.

6. Burnley's Vokes will score plenty this season if he remains top dog following Gray's departure. The obvious caveat is a new signing may be coming the other way and that could effect his playing time, but as it stands at this moment he is Burnley's number 1 striker and a very capable one at that. He's a big unit and a physical presence in the box, and he's decent finisher also. Along with Brady's service to rely on, and what now should be an unchallenged claim to pens, expect Vokes to improve on last seasons tally and become a real steal at 6mil. On the back of his most recent impressive display today, and with some similar big 5 tests to soon follow, I wouldn't be surprised if we will soon be adding the term 'fixture proof' to the list of his merits.

7. Finally, Cesc Fabregas is at an even greater risk of becoming irrelevant on the back of today's performance. There's no denying his talent, nor the fact he's probably not the most suited player to be partnering Kante in that position, however his actions and attitude today were not those of a senior experienced squad member who should have been leading by example and rallying his team to fight their way back into the game after Cahill's dismissal and going a couple goals down.

Instead he acted like a complete muppet, did little of note, and topped off his selfish performance by getting sent off for a completely stupid and unnecessary challenge in the middle of the park, right when his teammates were fighting their way back into the game. It's hard to come away from a match with any points when playing with 10 men let alone 9, and whilst Chelsea's comeback was commendable, it still wasn't enough.

Perhaps just one player short of coming away with something. Fabregas let his teammates down imo, and given Chelsea's dominance in that second half, a 10 man Chelsea could have very well salvaged a point. With 15 minutes still to play at the time of Fab's dismissal, unfortunately for Chelsea it was a task to hard for just 9 men despite coming close.

Fab just became a liability for a team already struggling with a thin squad and missing their most influential player in Hazard. If I was a Chelsea supporter I'd be happy to see the back of Fab and use him as trade bait to improve the squad. Any professional player can play their role and cruise along at most clubs where the pressure for success is limited, but big clubs need big players who know how to step up at big moments when the chips are down. That's how silverware is won and what separates the big clubs from the rest. It's also what separates a big clubs player's wages from the rest. After that performance Fab doesn't deserve to be at a big club nor does he deserve the big wages.