A night that should have been a piece of cake turned into another match with a little bit of fear injected into it for Chelsea, who can’t have anything go smoothly this season. But Fernando Torres has those matches in which he actually looks like a formidable striker, with the help of some brilliant Eden Hazard dribbling, and David Luiz proved once again why he is the MVP for the team this season.
Instead of playing calmly, building on their 1-0 away win, Chelsea allowed the Swiss team to score first, just before the first half was over. But instead of reacting in panic, Chelsea came out a lot more organized and resolute in not letting this one turn into a mess, knowing that they need every moment of rest they can get before the season is over.
Eden Hazard had one of those silky runs of his provide Fernando Torres with the assist to score the opening goal, while Torres himself was the one who set up Victor Moses for Victor Moses two minutes later. David Luiz capped off a nothing-less-than-magical nine minutes for Chelsea with a third and wonderful goal, getting his due not for his performance in the match, but for what he’s been doing all season and in the past few months.
Because in Torres Chelsea have a striker they can’t wait to really get rid of, but won’t sell him knowing they’ll get nothing in return after investing so much money in him. It’s impossible to hate Torres, as a fan, but its designated that it’ll be a month or two each time before you see an impressive performance from someone who not too long ago was the best striker in the world, or at least was seriously mentioned among them.
In Eden Hazard they have the future – not only in terms of ability, but in terms of style, and what the club should be about, if you ask Roman Abramovich. A creative attacking midfielder who can play in multiple positions while being quite efficient in the numbers he produces (goals & assists), and brings on these moments of pure genius, that are still too rare to call him a made star just yet.
But David Luiz has to be the player of the season for Chelsea, and not just for his incredible set of goals. It is for his leadership, taking over from John Terry and being the rock in the middle for a team that doesn’t have the strongest of midfield units, or the best of defenders around him anymore. While pieces will be replaced, Luiz is probably the first name on the teamsheet for the next few seasons, and accomplishing that while getting over all of his flaws makes him deserve all of the success he is seeing now.