Chelsea fans had high expectations for Matt Miazga, after the impressive performance he pulled at Villa Park last week. But it proved fatal for the match against Swansea, as the only goal of the match came from Miazga’s poor defensive clearance. However, Hiddink said the main reason for taking him off was the yellow card he acquired in first half.
“We had had some half-chances which we were not sharp enough to materialise. We went 1-0 down with some sloppy defensive work and on top of that he had a yellow card, and I didn’t want to take the risk of him getting a second yellow. That was the main reason to make the substitution.” (via Chelsea official site)
The 20-year-old US International and ex-New York Red Bulls player got the nod again at Liberty Stadium as he did against Aston Villa last week. He got the opportunity again due to a number of injured players and for the defensive display he put up at Villa Park.
However, the defender had to be substituted at half-time after a bizarre performance. Miazga clearly had no idea regarding what was happening around him and went on spinning in circles while chasing Swansea’s players.
Question marks do rise over Hiddink’s selection of Miazga, as the Swansea side were far better than relegation fighting Aston Villa. Matt Miazga isn’t quite ready for the Premier League and one game wasn’t enough for him to get the taste of English Football. Chelsea will seriously consider the option of sending him on loan in order to get more experience and be capable enough to play in The Blues’ first team.
