COMMENT: It was a game of mistakes. Turnovers. But in the end, with this Carabao Cup win, Chelsea's players can finally breathe... at least for a few days.
The winner was impressive. Well-crafted. Nicolas Jackson finishing coolly after a chance carved out by the quick feet of Cole Palmer. But as we say, as much as it was hectic, even entertaining, Chelsea's victory over Brighton was laden with errors. A Cup tie between two shadow XIs who clearly knew little of eachother. Beyond Jackson's winner, for both teams, the best chances came from defensive miss-control and opposition pressing.
But for Chelsea, a win is a win. After defeat at home to Aston Villa on Sunday. And sitting 14th on the Premier League table. You fancy Mauricio Pochettino will at this stage take whatever he can get.
But the manager's starting XI for last night does strike at a major concern about this squad. As we suggested in preseason, Chelsea sitting in the bottom half of the table is no surprise. Players thrown together. A wealth of winning experience jettisoned. Managers. Sporting directors. Ahem,... co-owners. After so much flux. So much change. They can't just click their fingers and expect it all to come together.
Okay, okay, for regulars of this column, you've read it all before. And we won't bore you going over it again. But when you consider the make-up of last night's team, there surely must be concern inside some quarters of the Blues front office about the club's transfer policy.
The lack of experience. Of even leadership. It's clear. It's obvious. And the question must now be raised: just what is Chelsea's recruitment strategy exposing their young players to?
Palmer is a talent. Lesley Ugochukwu too. And Moises Caicedo, like all of them, clearly has a future. But will that future involve these youngsters reaching their potential? Can they achieve that together - as a young group? Mentally. Physically. Can they handle the demands? The pressure? The scrutiny? All as they're learning their craft? And doing so without any type of on-field mentors to guide them?
It would be difficult enough at a Crystal Palace. Or, dare we say it, a Brighton. But Chelsea? Title winners. European champions. Where expectations demand success. Are these kids that Paul Winstanley and Lawrence Stewart have thrown together being set up for failure?
Again, it looks great on paper. Young talent. Recruited from around the world. All united in the same dressing room. To develop together. To grow. And eventually succeed. Yeah, it reads well. But football isn't played on paper.
These young players need leaders. Minders. Not only to set an example, but to also shield them from the scrutiny that comes with pulling on a Chelsea shirt. Mykhaylo Mudryk, of course, is a prime example. And you do wonder if he'll ever find a way through this confidence crisis he's currently enduring.
But even Caicedo is finding himself battling to handle the spotlight. In comparisons with Dominik Szoboszlai at Liverpool. With Declan Rice at Arsenal. The Ecuadorian ranks a poor third in terms of big-money midfielders moving to big Premier League clubs. And for that, his game is being pulled apart. Pundits are having their pop. Fans are enjoying their digs. Every aspect, every weakness, of Caicedo's game is being pored over. And with every setback, it only intensifies.
Tribalfootball.com had an interesting conversation with one high-ranking Premier League scout earlier this month, with the discussion leading to Chelsea and their World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez. Surprisingly for this column, the scout declared Enzo's development as stalling this year. The Chelsea move had worked against him. The player we saw at the World Cup. The one that exploded over a short six months with Benfica had seen this momentum suddenly halt. And the blame, as far as this scout was concerned, was with Chelsea and it's instability.
At 22, Enzo is the club's senior midfielder. The one everything hangs off. He must be consistently at the top of his game every week. If Enzo falls short, inevitably the team will. Again, at 22, and with barely 18 months of European football under his belt... are Chelsea doing right by the Argentine's career?
And this is a question that can be directed at so many of Enzo's teammates. So many whom are even younger and less experienced than he is.
It's long haunted him, but that line by Alan Hansen, "you can't win anything with kids", was always correct. Yes, at the time Manchester United's 1995/96 title winners had a raft of youngsters being pushed by Sir Alex Ferguson. But they also had leaders. Minders. Roy Keane. Eric Cantona. Peter Schmeichel. Today's Chelsea have nothing like that.
Chelsea have bought potential. World class potential. But there's no guarantees. And given this youth policy, those in charge - unless they change course - are setting up these kids for failure.