The box-to-box midfielder finally delivers for his boyhood club in a bittersweet moment as Gallagher's first senior goal for Chelsea turns out to be a winner at the cost of his former side .
In what could be described as a tipsy -Turvey , typical premier league encounter between Crystal Palace and Chelsea , the blues snatched an imperative last minute victory courtesy of screamer from Gallagher, with the match ending 2-1 in Chelsea’s favour resulting in Potter’s first Victory as a Chelsea coach. As Potter admitted later that the result might have been a relief considering the recent turmoil, the performance from the blues however ,was anything but convincing. Other than the outcome, the only other element of the match, that Chelsea fans would cherish is; Connor Gallagher, him finally displaying a glimpse of his potential in a Chelsea blue.
The season Chelsea begun with uncertain to say the least , in the midst turmoil, transition and monumental transition. With the change in the ownership, the board and the backroom staff to a precarious transfer window which would be described a hit and a miss. In the midst of the Chaos and mayhem, Connor Gallagher had returned to the blues after a successful loan spell at Crystal Palace , where he was vital cog in Viera's transformation of the Eagles, and his performances had a huge and consistent impact on the fortunes of Palace the last season. His return back to the Blues had the otherwise sceptical fans , buzzing and exited as they had witnessed the player's potential in a mid-table palace side , elevating the prospects of the team.
At Palace Gallagher statistically contributed with 8 goals and 3 assists in 34 appearances, from a box-box, number 8 position. His performances though contributed substantially beyond just the numbers. Although predominately deployed as a number 8. Gallagher displayed his versatility by regularly drifting and advancing as a number 10. He consistently invited opponent press towards the ball to create space for others to receive, with a wide range of passing and ability to dribble and progress the ball from tight spaces, Gallagher was the all-round package, the complete modern day mid fielder.
In Viera’s 4-3-3 formation, Gallagher frequently featured as the attacking central midfielder, with Palace typically attempting few crosses. Heavily relying on combination play through central territory bidding to penetrate the half spaces and infiltrating the opposition midfield block. Gallagher’s natural game would initiate the ball progression through his presence in between the lines around Zaha ensuring that Place were outnumbering or overpowering the opponent’s left flank.
Considering his performances and nuanced understanding of the game from midfield, Chelsea fans and in particular Thomas Tuchel, was exhilarated by the arrival of Gallagher back from loan. As towards the twilight of the 2021-2022 campaign it was glaringly visible that Chelsea were struggling to score goals , and break team teams down essentially due an absence of a forward progressive midfielder i.e., lack of imagination from midfield. Chelsea's existing midfield core was predominately static or holding to say the least. There was desperate need of verticality, and creativity in the department.
Gallagher’s arrival was deemed to be as the missing piece of the Jigsaw in the middle of the park as he provided the attacking flair, panache, and pertinent creativity that Chelsea had lacked from the midfield. Tuchel, entrusting Gallagher’s ability substituted him on against Everton in Chelsea’s first premier league fixture. Conversely to what was anticipated, he visibility struggled in the midfield , looking out of ideas and relatively slow in the possession. Pundits and football analyst had evaluated, that the transition from Palace’s number 8 attacking midfield to Chelsea’s possession dominating , holding midfield role is where Gallagher seemed to be struggling to adapt. Tuchel’s formation seemed to have restricted and nullified Gallagher’s attacking instincts.
Similar trend followed in Chelsea’s game against Leeds where they were outperformance, outplayed and humiliated by Leeds, especially in the Midfield department. This was Gallagher’s first start for Chelsea, where his struggles were again evident. Culminating his mediocre start to life at Chelsea was his immature sending of against Leicester , after which he would have feared the worst for his Chelsea future. The optimistic and exited Chelsea fans gradually has begin to grow sceptical of Gallagher's chances at the club.
The arrival of Graham Potter would have sparked hope of revival for Gallagher as Potter is renowned for his tactical versatility, flexibility and astute tactical nuances, unlike Tuchel’s whose tactics are more often described as rigid. Against his former team Palace , Potter deployed him in more attacking position, the 19 minutes against Palace exhibited a glimpse of his sheer potential. Chelsea fans would optimistically be hoping that Potter’s arrival would be beginning of Gallagher’s revival.
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