Ben Chilwell played his first minutes in Crystal Palace colours last night after joining them on loan from Chelsea in the final stages of the January transfer window.
Ben Chilwell, 28, completely fell out of favour under Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca in the first half of the season. As a result, he only made one appearance for the Blues this campaign.
The experienced left-back finally sealed a move to Selhurst Park, where he’ll hope to get back to playing regular football again.
Chilwell came on at half time on Monday night during Palace’s 2-0 away win at League Two club Doncaster Rovers in the FA Cup fourth round.
Joe Cole expects Chilwell to suit Palace because of their style of play under manager Oliver Glasner. We’ve just had a first look at the Englishman playing for the Eagles in yesterday’s cup tie.
Crystal Palace fans react to Ben Chilwell’s debut performance
A selection of Palace supporters on social media agreed that Chilwell could be an immediate upgrade for them at left wing-back on their current starter Tyrick Mitchell. It’ll certainly be a fascinating battle between the full-backs to see who starts more games moving forward.
Here are Palace fans reacting to the Chelsea loanee making his debut for them…
One fan wrote: “Have watched Chilwell play more forward passes in 20 minutes than i’ve seen Tyrick Mitchell play all season.”
“Chilwell like an extra midfielder, winger, striker all in one,” another posted.
One supporter claimed: “Chilwell’s natural movement inside to play almost anywhere on the pitch will be a huge benefit for us going forward. Not a dig at Mitchell whatsoever, it’s just not something he is comfortable doing but maybe he can learn.”
“Chilwell looking classy on the ball,” another added.
Finally, one fan said: “Can see what Chilwell will offer us when he’s fully fit. Already been able to spread play and thread balls that Mitchell could only dream of doing.”
England manager Thomas Tuchel has informed Chilwell he’s still in his plans, even though he’s barely kicked a football in a competitive game for half a season.
It’s great to see the left-back back on the pitch after some ruthless treatment from Maresca, who argued he simply didn’t suit his system.
Chilwell’s goal is to be England’s starting left-back. If he can recapture his best form at Palace in the next few months, we think he can add to his 21 senior international caps.
Ben Chilwell’s debut in numbers
Chilwell’s most recent Chelsea appearance was 24 September against Barrow in the League Cup. Therefore, it feels sensible that Glasner gave him just 45 minutes on his Palace debut this week.
Here is a look at the player’s individual contribution in the FA Cup tie…
| Minutes played | Accurate passes | Touches | Tackles won | Clearances | Recoveries | Dribbled past | Match rating |
| 45 | 18/21 (86%) | 39 | 2/2 (100%) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6.6 |
There’s not too much to read into against a League Two outfit as Chilwell played the second half yesterday, but it’s vital that he finally got some competitive minutes into his legs.
If some Palace supporters are already highlighting him as an upgrade on Mitchell, it’ll be interesting to see how long it takes him to break into their Premier League XI.
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