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Chelsea showed little to no fight as a second-half goal from Bernardo Silva ensured that Man City deservedly took all three points at the Etihad Stadium.
Man City dominated proceedings from start to finish as Chelsea looked to soak up the pressure and counter with the pace of Willian, Pedro and Eden Hazard but a woeful passing display meant that City were just gifted back possession as soon as they lost it.
City didn’t create many chances, however, and as a result, Antonio Conte held out until half-time with the scores still level.
The second-half couldn’t have started much worse as the two Silva’s combined to break the deadlock for City, with David passing to Bernardo, who finished confidently past Thibaut Courtois.
You would’ve thought the goal would spark a reaction from Chelsea but instead, they just continued to sit back and invite pressure, with Moses’ poorly executed strike one of only two clear-cut chances Chelsea managed to have in the game.
Alonso’s volley right at the death was indeed the closest Chelsea came to getting a goal.
Chelsea now sit five points off fourth-placed Tottenham and know that only a win will do in their home fixtures against Liverpool and the aforementioned Spurs.
Here are our player ratings on a dismal afternoon for the Blues.
Thibaut Courtois – 5 – It showed just how poor Chelsea were in possession and how unadventurous they were in their passing that Courtois (51) still managed to touch the ball more times than Willian, Pedro or Hazard. The goal wasn’t really down to him but his distribution was typically awful and contributed to a systematic failure to retain possession.
Cesar Azpilicueta – 7 – The only defender to show any real grit or determination, blocking three shots and making three interceptions on top of maintaining a 91% pass accuracy. Almost as baffling as the Courtois stat, the Spanish defender had the most touches (74) out of any Chelsea player during the whole game.
Andreas Christensen – 6 – having brought a fresh sense of calm and composure to the backline with his exemplary passing ability, the Dane has over the past few weeks succumbed to the playing style of his teammates – misplacing simple passes and resulting to lumping the ball upfield in a hit and hope counter-attacking approach that never works.
Antonio Rudiger – 5 – Rudiger is the king of unnecessary fouls, giving away three during the match – the joint most of any player on the pitch, and picking up a yellow card as a result. He always seemed in a hurry to get rid of the ball, collapsing at the slightest hint of a Manchester City press. His eight long balls showed precisely the type of game plan he adopted and the fact that only three of those found their target is a testament to how flawed this tactic is in practice.
Victor Moses – 5 – Spurned Chelsea’s best opening of the game and was easily the least adept player in possession. That’s saying a lot considering how poor Chelsea were collectively in passing the ball. He completed none of his five attempted long balls and aside from Willian (a player who looks to play more directly than Moses) he posted the lowest pass accuracy at 65%. His defensive numbers were just as poor, failing to complete a single tackle or interception.
Danny Drinkwater – 5 – Despite being one of two players who could help link defence to attack through their passing, Drinkwater played as conservatively as ever, maintaining a high pass accuracy but failing to create anything meaningful from it with just a single key pass to his name. He also gave away a couple of fouls and completed just one tackle in a game where midfield dominance was key to the outcome of the match.
Cesc Fabregas – 5 – Probably worse than Drinkwater on the day, which really is a damning indictment of his performance. He completed just one more key pass than the Englishman, which considering his creative ability, is shocking and his pass accuracy was a measly 76%. This was not to say either that he was focused purely on defensive work, as he only managed a tackle and interception each.
Marcos Alonso – 6 – Made four interceptions and won three aerial duels in a relatively solid performance. His issue lied in the fact that as a result of Hazard’s isolation, Alonso was burdened with too much attacking responsibility and whilst his ability to pop up in the right place at the right time is invaluable, he was tasked more so with linking play and creating chances, which is by no means one of his strong points.
Willian – 6 – None of the front three produced a shot all game, an unbelievable stat when you consider the talent they all possess. One of the few bright sparks over recent weeks but today his touch was lacking and he couldn’t string two passes together. He produced three dribbles but not one of them led to a key pass or a chance created.
Eden Hazard – 5 – His body language told you all you need to know. He was fed up with the lack of service and first and foremost being played out of position again – despite the obvious fact that Chelsea’s play style never has and never will, under Conte, suit a false nine of Hazard’s build. No shots, no key passes and just two dribbles is a quite clear vindication of Hazard’s and Chelsea fans’ frustrations with this tactic.
Pedro – 5 – Same sort of story as his attacking counterparts, except this has now become an all too regular occurrence for Pedro this season. Time and time again he’s failed to stamp his mark on proceedings, whilst last season his game was direct and shot-heavy. This year he’s been anything but, slowing play down by stopping and starting with the ball, as well as somehow adopting the turning circle of a lorry weighed down by something far more substantial than the Spaniards goal involvements this season.
Substitutes
Olivier Giroud – 5 – In 13 minutes, Giroud was more involved than any of his attacking teammates, even managing to pull off a shot, a modern day miracle by this team’s standards. His aerial presence was an obvious but positive addition to Chelsea’s one-dimensional play but even so, he was starved of service and only recorded three touches.
Emerson – 5 – Just why did he come on? You’re losing a game that could see you drop away from the chasing pack in the hunt for Champions League football and yet Conte decides to replace Pedro, an attacking winger with a naturally defensive wing-back in Emerson.
Alvaro Morata – N/A – It beggars belief that he was not introduced sooner. He was unlucky against Manchester United and even his movement off the ball allowed Chelsea space to actually play with some pride. As it was though, Morata came on with just minutes left and could do very little to influence the game. Should’ve been brought on for Pedro earlier.
The post Chelsea player ratings: Manchester City (A) appeared first on Read Chelsea.
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| Article Name | Chelsea player ratings: Manchester City (A) |
| Description |
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| Author Name | Candyboy |
| Published On | March 04, 2018 |
| Post Category |
Chelsea
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