Chelsea player ratings vs. West Ham: Is this a Europa League-quality XI?
By George Perry
A loss to Tottenham followed by a draw against West Ham – both at Stamford Bridge – and yet you’re still here. Who says Chelsea fans are plastic?
Eight days ago Chelsea had a distant chance of qualifying for next season’s Champions League, contingent on Tottenham having a Spursy end to the season. Today, however, Chelsea have a tenuous grip on next season’s Europa League as the bottle has apparently been passed from north London to west London.
All for the best. This is certainly not a Champions League-calibre side, and may not even be a Europa League-calibre side.
Goalkeeper and defence
13. Belgium. THIBAUT COURTOIS. 5. How you judge this goal comes down to how you judge Courtois overall. If you are prone to pounce on every error Courtois makes – both on the pitch and off – then Courtois did not properly direct his defenders, failed to read the cut-back pass, took himself out of position, has the reflexes of a drunken koala and the agility to match. If, on the other hand, you are a Courtois fan (or at least an apologist) then he was once again undone by his defence, this time a muffed clearance by Gary Cahill. The quick pass from Marko Arnautovic and the low, hard, accurate shot of Javier Hernandez would have beat any keeper. You decide.<br />
Cesar Azpilicueta scored the slowest-rolling goal you’ll see all season off the outside of his boot in the six-yard box while Joe Hart stood rooted to the centre of his goal line. In all but the darkest timelines, such would be the goal of the damned. But for Chelsea 2017/18, this goal ended up a saviour: the difference between one point and none. Azpilicueta proved once again what a rare player he is in his devotion to the club and the fans, kissing the Chelsea badge and acknowledging the black armband for Ray Wilkins’ memory as he celebrated his goal. He also had his usual solid game defensively and in passing. Chelsea are barely worthy of him.. 28. Spain. CESAR AZPILICUETA. 7
6.5. Rumours of the demise of Gary Cahill’s Chelsea career are once again overstated and premature. Cahill had a commanding game in the centre of the defence, moving up aggressively to counter any West Ham movement before it approached Chelsea’s third. He was solid on the ball and knew when to involved himself in the play through midfield. Unfortunately his one bad clearance fell to Marko Arnautovic who set up Chicharito for the goal. Individual mistakes, yet again. He should take the blame for the goal but not the draw. There is no reason Chelsea should only score one at home against West Ham.<br />. 24. England. GARY CAHILL
Rudiger played much closer to home than in recent games, moving the ball up mostly through N’Golo Kante and Marcos Alonso, or back to Gary Cahill. He did not make any of his recent-trademark long diagonal passes to Victor Moses, which have become a unique part of his game and a useful variation for Chelsea playing out from the back. West Ham did not give him too much to do, and he did not involve himself much going forward, making for a low-impact day.. 2. Germany. ANTONIO RUDIGER. 6