Everton vs Chelsea: The Opposition View as Dewsbury-Hall Praised

As the Toffees prepare to host Chelsea on Saturday, Evertonians might be having nightmares thinking about the attack that Xabi Alonso has assembled. 

Everton head into the game in a strong position, but there's no doubt they haven't faced a side with an attack as strong as Chelsea's. Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer, and Joao Pedro are already forming a deadly partnership in the final third, and Everton will need to tighten up at the back in order to deal with the trio. 

To delve a bit deeper into how Chelsea have been this season, and perhaps how Everton can exploit their weaknesses, we spoke to Matt Debono of Chelsea's Roundtable. 

Chelsea's success going forward is obvious, but they have struggled when trying to keep the ball out of their own net. We asked Matt whether it was the personnel or Alonso's system that has led to this, and he believes it's likely both. 

"To be fair, it's likely both. It's a new-look back three, with Levi Colwill playing as the left centre-back. It's a new role for him, and in the first few games you could see there was a weakness there. With Moises Caicedo unavailable for many games, the defence didn't get enough protection," said Matt. 

Overall, the goals Chelsea have conceded have been avoidable regardless of system or personnel, but they did show signs of improvement last time out against Bournemouth.

Matt does believe, however, that Everton will likely pose a bigger threat than the Cherries. 

"Then there are the goals, many of which were easily avoidable regardless of personnel and system. It's a culmination of many things. Thankfully, Chelsea conceded only one against Bournemouth last week, so there were signs of improvement. But Everton will likely pose a much bigger threat."

Chelsea's defensive frailties are something Everton will have to look to take advantage of. Everton have been creating chances at a strong rate so far this season, but they'll have to be clinical against Chelsea as there's every chance they'll be finding the back of the net on multiple occasions.

Matt believes set-pieces could be a serious weapon for Everton in this game, with Chelsea struggling to defend them.

"Set-pieces. That has been a huge weakness for Chelsea this season. Another goal came from a set-piece against Bournemouth, so it feels pretty simple for Everton: target the corners, free-kicks and long throw-ins, and the Toffees will no doubt create a few chances. It's as simple as that."

Chelsea have a poor record when it comes to travelling up to Merseyside to face the Toffees. 

Matt says this is an away game that Chelsea supporters doesn't look forward to, but they are waiting for their side to produce a solid performance across a whole 90 minutes. Could this come against Everton?

"Everton are Chelsea's hardest opponent in October in the Premier League. With no away win against them since August 2022, it's not exactly an away game we look forward to. If Chelsea were without Moises Caicedo and Joao Pedro, it would be alarm bells and anything could happen. Having said that, that is still the case, as seen in all our games this season, which have all been high-scoring. If there's a big worry, it's the defence. Can they cope and produce a solid performance for 90 minutes? They're yet to prove it, but they have to at some point, or at least you'd hope so."

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall didn't spend too long at Chelsea. He was a key player at Leicester before his move to Stamford Bridge, and he's been a key player at Everton, but he wasn't at Chelsea.

We asked Matt why it didn't quite work out for Dewsbury-Hall at Chelsea.

"I wouldn't say it didn't work out. He was brought in and did exactly what he was asked to do, even if it was for one season: 36 appearances, five goals and four assists in all competitions, and two trophies along the way. KDH knew the incoming manager and understood the system, and although he struggled with the change to a role where he wasn't playing all the time, given the competition for places in midfield, he did the best he could," Matt said.

In reality, Dewsbury-Hall was always going to find it difficult to cement a regular place in the Chelsea side. Matt believes that was always going to be the case, but maybe Dewsbury-Hall expected more.

"He was always going to be a squad player, as seen with most of his minutes coming in the Conference League. Maybe he hoped for more, but realistically that was never going to be the case, and it was as successful as it could have been for the club," Matt added.

As we always asked when doing these, we tasked Matt with picking one player from Everton to come into the Chelsea starting XI.

Despite some honourable mentions, Matt opted for Jarrad Branthwaite.

"Given KDH and Tyrique George were sold, they can't be selected. In terms of profile, and given the defensive issues, the obvious pick would be Jarrad Branthwaite. He's 24, so he fits the age profile that Chelsea like to go after. Honourable mention for James Tarkowski too. With Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck being signed as the more senior heads, he would be another contender. But it would certainly be a defensive player! Although Thierno Barry has had a positive start to the campaign, he can't replace any of our lethal front three."

A big thanks to Matt from Chelsea's Roundtable for chatting with us. If you want to check out their version over on the Chelsea site, click the link below!