Midfield duo leads the way in Chelsea's best performance of the season

On Saturday, we got the best 30 minutes of Chelsea football all season.  On Tuesday, we got the best overall, 90-minute performance of the season.  At least that's what our community player ratings would have us believe.  (It's the fourth highest in the 2+ year history of the community player ratings, before you ask.)

Fittingly, for a team effort, it's the three "glue" guys who occupy the top three positions.  Most games are won and lost in midfield, making it the most crucial battleground in any given game.  While Fàbregas's improvements in the defensive side of his game have been a more than welcome (and, for many, a quite unexpected) development, the main purpose for bringing him in was to help us control the midfield in games against ostensibly weaker opposition.  On Tuesday, with another 100+ touch performance (in just 77 minutes!), Fabregas once again did just that.  I feel like I end up writing something along these lines every time Cesc is in the top 3 (which is fairly often), but after so many years of Chelsea floundering in this area of the game, maybe I'm just a bit overexcited.

The ease with which our two key summer signings have instantly fit into the team has been nothing short of hilariously, sensationally spaceship, Spaceship, SPACESHIP!  It's almost too easy.  Too good to be true.  I keep waiting for someone to shake the snow globe, for the camera to zoom in, and reveal a miniature Stamford Bridge with min-Cesc, mini-Diego, mini-Hazard, mini-Mourinho, et al...

Have you been waiting for Willian to add a bit of "tangible" final product to all his magnificent hustle, bustle, tussle?

You're welcome!

(Sorry, lions.)

Matić was my Man of the Match, though he's only ("only") third best for all y'all.  Still, it's his highest rated performance of the season and on that we are in full agreement.

BEASTMODE.

No player is perfect, of course -- I remember him getting drawn out of position quite badly once, alongside at least one egregiously cheap turnover with a bad pass -- but Matić does so many things so well in the middle of the pitch that it often borders on unfair to the opposition.  From tackling, marking, anticipating to passing, dribbling, driving forward, he can do it all.  And when he's in top form, I'm not sure there's anyone better.