Chelsea opened their season with a satisfactory 3-0 win against Huddersfield. The quality of play rather than the scoreline should be what Maurizio Sarri and the players remember from the day.
Chelsea will hopefully have many more 3-0 wins over the course of the season. Just as hopefully, those wins will be more fulfilling and reflect the Blues’ quality more than their victory at Huddersfield. The Blues deserved their win and the three goals, but the individual players and the team as a whole showed how much work lays ahead.
Kepa Arrizabagala, goalkeeper: 7.5
Huddersfield put only one shot on target, and that came from about 20 yards out, making for an easy Premier League debut for Chelsea’s record signing. The clean sheet is a good morale boost for the club as well as Arrizabagala, especially after last season when the club shipped so many easy goals to deny their previous goalkeeper (don’t make us say his name) a clean sheet even as they preserved the win. Next week will be a much greater test, and Huddersfield was a good warm-up.
Cesar Azpilicueta, right-back: 6.5
Azpilicueta struggled a bit in a few one-on-one battles down Chelsea’s right, an unusual outcome since teams normally avoid coming at him and he is normally unbeatable when they do. He had a few games in the middle of last season where he was similarly vulnerable. Like the rest of the team, he may just be adapting to a new system and re-adapting to being a fullback.
Antonio Rudiger, centre-back: 7.5
Antonio Rudiger continued his run as Chelsea’s most reliable centre-back. He led the team in tackles and took two shots, including a delicious header that forced a top save from Ben Hamer. If Rudiger can add the occasional goal to his routine he will be Chelsea’s go-to centre-back, leaving the other spot up for grabs. On the subject of that…
David Luiz, centre-back: 6
David Luiz spent the first half trying to give Huddersfield a penalty. He twice got involved in actions that – on a different day with a different referee, given the state of Premier League officiating – would have resulted in a Terriers’ penalty kick. Instead, in classic Luiz style, he got away with both and racked up the passes to end the day with one of the strongest stats sheets but lightest performances on the team. Chelsea need Andreas Christensen to get back on form and Gary Cahill to complete his post-World Cup integration so they can replace Luiz as Rudiger’s partner. Hopefully Maurizio Sarri knows what he is dealing with in Luiz and only used him on Saturday as a stop-gap. If he doesn’t, he will learn soon enough. Next week against Arsenal will be a brutal lesson if Sarri needs it.
Marcos Alonso, left-back: 7
Perhaps if Marcos Alonso scored his overhead kick his detractors would have taken the occasion to stop and silence themselves. But his acrobatics resulted only in a clang off the bar, and the banter continued unabated. The futility of the anti-Alonso coalition is particularly obvious when Sarri did not even name Alonso’s putative back-up / replacement, Emerson Palmieri, to the bench. Alonso brought the best out of Alvaro Morata in the second half when Chelsea started to get the ball to Alonso high enough up the pitch to send in crosses. Sarri still has to figure out a way to send service to Morata in this version of Sarri-ball. Marcos Alonso will be an indispensable part of any such plan.