Real Madrid vs. Chelsea: 4 reasons why Madridistas cannot underestimate the Blues

Attacking firepower

Chelsea still need some time for all their pieces to gel in the attack under a new manager, as they had serious trouble finding cohesiveness under Frank Lampard, who had no real idea how to find an ideal schematic setup to get the most out of his players.

Thomas Tuchel worked with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in PSG, taking them to their first Champions League Final. And he worked with a lot of talented young players in Dortmund. Thus far, Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, and Kai Havertz – the splashy trio of summer signings at Chelsea – have shown signs of growth under the German manager.

That is a talented trio, no doubt, but Chelsea have more players who could prove problematic for Real Madrid’s talented defense. Christian Pulisic is injury-prone, but he is excellent when on the pitch due to his skill and pace. Mason Mount is the Blues’ best player and a true playmaker with 10 total goal contributions in the Premier League and a whopping 2.4 key passes per game, according to WhoScored.com.

Not only do they have some great playmakers in Mount and Ziyech, but they are also capable of creating clear-cut chances off their press.

Los Blancos will have to contend with several starters and a few talented backups off the bench who can create sparks. It takes individual skill to threaten Real Madrid in a big game, and Chelsea have that skill. Their finishing is questionable, but their raw ability is not. And that’s enough to give Madridistas pause.