Newcastle vs Chelsea (1-2): Four talking points

Chelsea has enjoyed a splendid start to the Premier League under their new manager Maurizio Sarri as they have enjoyed a perfect start to the season by winning two of their opening two games. More impressive has been the fact that one of the wins was against their fellow London heavyweights Arsenal. The Blues' third league game of the season looked a tricky one as they travelled to Newcastle.

Chelsea, for all their success over the past few years, has struggled at St James' Park with their last trip to Newcastle resulted in a 0-3 loss in what was Antonio Conte's last game in charge of the Blues. It was probably safe to say that this fixture could potentially provide the sternest test yet for Maurizio Sarri's new look Chelsea.

They dominated proceedings from the kickoff with Eden Hazard and Mateo Kovacic starting for the first time this season. The Belgian was a menace throughout the game, often being the target of opponent defenders' highly physical approach to the game. Eden Hazard opened Chelsea's account in the game and his own for the season by firing in a penalty at the 76th minute.

Newcastle equalized soon after in 83rd minute through Joselu by heading in Yedlin's cross. It looked like Chelsea might not be able to win at St James' park yet again until Marcos Alonso forced an own goal through Yedlin by smashing the ball across the 6-yard box.

In totality, it was a job well done for Chelsea as they dominated the game with a whopping 81 per cent possession, completely outclassing their opponents. Maurizio Sarri would be delighted as he starts his Premier League career with three wins out of as many games. Here are the four talking points from the match.

#1 Defending woes

Newcastle United v Chelsea FC - Premier League — Joselu heads in the equalizer

Perhaps one of the biggest things to improve on for Chelsea this season so far is defending together as a team. Chelsea have conceded three goals in the last two games which stands in stark contrast to Chelsea sides we have seen of the old.

The Blues have looked vulnerable at times when putting under pressure especially when opposing teams move around the ball efficiently. Maurizio Sarri will undoubtedly work in this aspect of his team as in the premier league, no team gets breathing space. All the three goals that Chelsea have conceded have been from the opportunities created down the flanks.

This brings us to the performances of the fullbacks in the game. While the manner in which the Blues have conceded the goals so far this season is a worry, it is the offensive side which needs some discussion. Marcos Alonso has been the hero so far this season down the left flank, however, crossing the ball is not his best quality.

The Spaniard's counterpart on the opposite flank and also his fellow countryman Cesar Azpilicueta is still finding his feet in his new role. The versatile defender has played every position across the backline for Chelsea in his career and this season he finally gets to play in his natural position at right back. It appears that he could improve on his offensive output more and provide a threat down the right-hand side and support Pedro in the attacking third of the pitch.

#2 Eden Hazard

Arguably the best player in the league registers his first start in the new Premier League season, this most certainly invites some discussion. The Belgian is so dangerous as a player that he is often double or even triple marked at times in the game.

As usual, this time it was no different. He was on the receiving end of the brutal tackles from Newcastle players left, right and centre. Referees in the country would do well to protect players like him to prevent any undesired outcome which often kills the mood of the game.

Most of Chelsea's offensive game went through him, as he led Chelsea's by attack expertly gliding past opposition defenders and linking up across the front line. It was only justified that he opened Chelsea's account by firing home a penalty in the 76th minute. The winger completed the whole game and got solid 90+ minutes as he nears full fitness.

His current goals and assist contribution for this season stand at a goal and two assists from three games and he is not even in his top gear yet. One can expect the Belgian Wizard to have his finest period yet in his career as a professional footballer under Maurizio Sarri.

#3 Mateo Kovacic: Chelsea's midfield balance restored

The 24 year old Croatian has been seen as the successor to the legendary Luka Modric in the Croatian national team. To be fair, the midfielder does give reasons for fans to be excited about the future. However, the former Inter midfielder struggled for playing time at the Bernabeu and made the switch to West London on loan for the season in order to get more minutes under his belt. There might be a small possibility that the arrangement could potentially turn into a permanent one.

However, Kovacic's instant impact to the team's overall performance could be very well seen in his half-hour cameo against Arsenal. It was no surprise that he started the next game for Chelsea and the midfield instantly looked balanced. Ross Barkley is a talented player but his skill set might not be suited to play as a midfielder in Sarri's team.

Tidy with his feet and his exquisite link-up play with Eden Hazard was a delight to watch and it will only get better as the season progresses. Jorginho, Kante, and Kovacic might soon end up becoming one of the best and most complete midfield trios in world football

#4 Dark horses for the Premier League?

Chelsea's previous season left a sour taste in the mouth of everybody involved as the manager Antonio Conte reportedly fell out with the Chelsea board and both the parties ended their relationship this offseason. To add to the drama, Chelsea could not find agreement with Napoli in order to bring Maurizio Sarri to Stamford Bridge and it was only by the end of July that the Italian finally managed to join the Blues, replacing Conte.

Their title rivals have strengthened their respective squads and Chelsea are currently seen as a work in progress and even a top-four finish this season would be counted as progress in the eyes of everyone. However, early signs suggest that Blues could very well be the dark horses for this season's Premier League title. Liverpool and Manchester City look like favourites to win the title this season, however, Chelsea could potentially cause some stir in the race to the top.

A hungry squad with proven winners and adding Eden Hazard to the mix spells trouble for Chelsea's opponents this season. Also, the transition to "Sarri-ball" looks smoother as Jorginho, the metronome of last season's Napoli looks at home in the Premier League.

Chelsea has now won all of their opening games this season which is only bettered by Liverpool who is ahead on account of goal difference. Perhaps a more important thing to shed light on is that this Chelsea side is just under a transition period and the squad is expected to hit top form only after another month or two under the new manager Sarri. This season, the premier league could very well see a surprise winner come to the end of the season.

Edited by Shruti Sadbhav