This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Crystal Palace travel from south to west this Saturday to take on a Chelsea side who are absolutely flying going into this London derby affair.
Frank Lampard’s men are on a five-game winning streak in the Premier League, and have won eight of their last ten games in all competitions – the Blues’ last outing saw them come back from 4-1 down to record a 4-4 draw against Ajax at Stamford Bridge.
The likes of Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic are impressing in midfield, as is Fikayo Tomori at the back, although there is one man who is quite simply playing out of his skin at the moment.
Who is it?
Tammy Abraham.
The Chelsea academy graduate has had to be patient over the years as he waits for a chance at Stamford Bridge, scoring 23 Championship goals for Bristol City in 2016/17 and 26 league goals for Aston Villa last term, as he waited for his big break.
Having now been handed the No.9 shirt by Lampard and also the chance to shine in the first-team, the 22-year-old hasn’t looked back with a stunning nine goals in 11 Premier League appearances – Abraham is just one goal behind top-scorer Jamie Vardy.
Abraham – dubbed as a “brave” forward by Garth Crooks recently – has also netted in this season’s Champions League.
“Abraham clearly has ability, but he is also brave and not afraid to go in where it hurts. A crucial quality for any striker.”
Gary Cahill must be wary of Abraham
Another man who has had a fine start to the campaign is Crystal Palace’s Gary Cahill.
Signed on a free transfer after leaving Chelsea in the summer, the England international will be making his first appearance back at Stamford Bridge, and he has a job on his hands to contain the in-form striker.
Since becoming a Palace player, Cahill has won the club’s Player of the Month award for September while delivering some brilliant performances, although one thing that could be deemed as a blot on his copybook is his lack of pace.
Position-wise, and in terms of his leadership, the former Bolton man is exceptional, although if it comes down to a footrace between him and Abraham this weekend, Cahill will be in all sorts of bother.
As a result, what the centre-back – pinpointed as the “ultimate professional” by Asmir Begovic – mustn’t do is get too tight to Chelsea’s No.9.
“He’s the ultimate professional who controls his emotions very well. He was reliable and he had a good presence in the dressing room.”
As strange as it sounds, Cahill must allow Abraham space, rather than get touch-tight to the youngster who could then spin off the defender and leave him for dead.
In giving Abraham a few yards, Cahill would allow himself time to get a tackle in or simply assess the situation better, rather than getting sucked in where a simple give-and-go from Abraham would completely take him out of the game.