Chelsea ratings vs. BATE: Maurizio Sarri mails it in, players follow his lead

Jorginho, midfielder: 6.5

Jorginho had a decent, if uninspiring performance. His passes were mostly accurate, but also mostly sideways. When pushing further forward, which he did because BATE dropped so deep, he struggled to make the key passes into the final third which Cesc Fabregas can create so well.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek, midfielder: 5

Ahh, Ruben Loftus Cheek. What to do with him. The ultimate flatterer to deceive, Loftus-Cheek had a poor performance.

BATE Borisov did not make him look good. He did not make himself look good. Many wayward passes, often ruining a potential chance to attack, and a lack of his usual penetration confirms that his performances are dipping again after they peaked last week with his hat trick against the same opponent. The hat trick last time out flattered him, and this time he came up against a much more determined side in their own back yard, and was not even able to dominate physically.

Maurizio Sarri’s man-management technique of challenging his players is working well for some, like Ross Barkley, but not for Loftus Cheek. He seems to respond much better to the Gareth Southgate “well done’s”, and the grandfatherly Roy Hodgson’s arm (wing) around the shoulders. Loftus-Cheek needs to feel appreciated to feel confident. For Sarri to say after his first senior hat trick that he needed to get better defensively it’s fair to say he’s not feeling it. They need to find somewhere to come together with Loftus-Cheek’s mentality, or expectation gap will only grow.

Ross Barkley, midfielder: 6

Another disappointing performance from Ross Barkley after his insipid performance against Crystal Palace. This is also the second time in a row when he was replaced by Mateo Kovacic slightly too early for it to be purely to rest him.

Through October he had kept Kovacic a distance away from the starting lineup with his performances. Nobody in the Premier League was directly involved in more goals than his three goals and three assists. But Kovacic is slowly but surely creeping back into contention. What’s more, both times he has replaced Barkley he has looked sharper in both attack and defense. This might be good for him, as mediocrity will not maintain his presence in the best XI like it did at Everton. He could respond well to the competition like he did at the start of the season.

Say what you like about him, he knows how to fight. Don’t be surprised to see a resurgence soon. Whether or not he will have to be dropped first is another matter entirely.