Key events
3 min: Early spin off the left by Nicolas Jackson, and Kilman has to quell the danger. Chelsea dominant with the ball though Bowen sets off on an early dart. Soucek is penalised for a typically robust challenge.
Away we go at the Bridge
1 min: The ball is in play and the fans are singing rude songs about the other. Bubbles and celery are the opposing obsessions of these London outfits.
The Liquidator can he heard – that’s not a reference to Chelsea’s finances – and that means we are about to go at Stamford Bridge. There’s always a lot of people on the pitch and very loud music these days. It’s quite, well, American.
Enzo and Graham, the managers, have history from time together at West Ham:
Maresca on Potter: “He was very funny, I guess he is still now. We were both very young when we played together, I was 17. We were living very close to each other. He was my taxi, he was bringing me from my house to the training ground. Now he’s doing fantastic so I’m happy for him.”
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard that G-Pott is a right laugh.
Cole Palmer spoke to Sky: “We’ve created a lot of chances but it’s just about being clinical and hopefully we can do that tonight. When we go behind or concede, we need to stick together and be more of a team and I think that’s what we’re going to do.”
More on the enigma that is Andy Irving.
Brendan Large gets in touch: “As a Chelsea fan I think dropping Sanchez was a no-brainer today. He hasn’t been as bad as his headlines (mostly) and has made some good saves. But all the noise around him would have made every touch a chance for West Ham fans to put him under pressure. Jorgensen doesn’t look spectacular but seems to be a safe pair of hands (mostly) from his Conference League/Cup appearances.
“Good luck to Potter from me. I think the guy had zero chance of succeeding in the Chelsea set-up he was bought in to and I don’t think anyone else would have done any better at the time…but his luck can start after this game. We really need three here to push for CL next season.”
Talking of jellied eels, there’s been a bit in the right-wing press about how pie and mash’s decline points to demographic change in the East End. It’s gone to Essez, like much of the Hammers support.
It’s also inedible to many in modern life, too.
Tim K gets in touch: “No Paqueta? Suspended or injured or both? No JWP, too late to get ready I guess. Why did they let him go in the first place? A good weekend for London away wins (CP & Spurs) so maybe we can join the list.”
Paqueta has a groin injury.
Jeremy Boyce also gets in touch: “Looking forward to the match, which is very much a back-to-the-future 60s revisited, with the rich boys up west still lording it over their east end rivals after all these years. For all their huff’n’puff (TM Geoff Hurst), the Hammers have always struggled to rival the SW3 swaggerers and Potter’s rough boys will do well to come away without jellied eels on their face tonight. 0 – 1 then.”
That Hammers team: Jarrod Bowen plays for the first time since fracturing his foot. Lucas Paqueta is out. Bowen will be skipper.
Ian Melven gets in touch: “I see Potter has gone with the lesser-spotted 1-2-2-2-2-1 formation for West Ham. Innovative stuff.”
Here’s the man in the frame tonight. Not a natural headline-maker but so much to prove to Chelsea.
There were 21 months between Chelsea ditching Potter and West Ham turning to him. The 49-year-old has arrived at the London Stadium at a difficult time. West Ham erred in appointing Julen Lopetegui last summer and an announcement is due on parting company with their overhyped technical director, Tim Steidten, who played a sorry part in creating a squad lacking in depth and pace.
Sanchez dropped by Chelsea
Big news there: Robert Sanchez dropped for Filip Jorgensen in the Chelsea goal. Christopher Nkunku is on the bench despite all the transfer speculation. Tosin in for Chalobah.
Three at the back for the Hammers, Max Kilman as the sole centre=half by trade. Andy Irving, a regular sub, something of a mystery, gets his first ever start.
The teams
Chelsea: Jorgensen, James, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella, Caicedo, Fernandez, Madueke, Palmer, Sancho, Jackson. Subs: Sanchez, Chalobah, Acheampong, Gusto, Dewsbury-Hall, George, Neto, Nkunku, Guiu.
West Ham: Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Coufal, Kilman, Cresswell, Emerson, Soucek, Irving, Soler, Bowen, Kudus. Subs: Fabianski, Foderingham, Mavropanos, Guilherme, Ings, Rodriguez, Casey, Scarles, Orford.
Preamble
Once he got back into football management, Graham Potter didn’t have to wait long to return to Stamford Bridge, a place he departed with many a cross word from fans. “If you look at the xG of the goal, it’s not that big a chance,” he said of the John McGinn goal for Aston Villa that did for him in April 2023. It became an epitaph for a manager too technocratic for the Chelsea soap opera. Does such a label attach itself to Enzo Maresca? Quite possibly, the positive signs of a bright start have faded. Some bad results have moved the dial. Like losing at Ipswich, for example.
G-Pott, as nobody sensible calls him, will know well enough the feeling. Now he’s the safe pair of hands at West Ham, who have steadied after Julen Lopetegui’s ill-fated regime was ended. The Hammers always do better with a sold type – Ron Greenwood, John Lyall and, yes, David Moyes. Given time, he could do a fine job. Will it start by snotting the Chels? Why not? It’s what we’re here to see.
Join me. The kick-off’s at 8pm. The transfer news is here, if you are so inclined.
