Chelsea ratings: Hudson-Odoi displays what (almost) everybody already knew

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LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 18: Mateo Kovacic of Chelsea in action during the FA Cup Fifth Round match between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on February 18, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /

Mateo Kovacic, Midfielder: 7

Kovacic showed what this position could and should be with someone whose skill set extends beyond one-touch moderate-speed passing. Kovacic knows when to pass, when to hold, when to dribble, when and how to shield the ball with his body, when to take the ball across his body, how to change the rhythm and power of his passes and how to avoid or escape pressure.

If all this sounds like the fundamental job description of the deepest central midfielder in a midfielder three (we’re not using the r-word), that’s because it is.

N’Golo Kante, Midfielder: 8.5

This was another game where Kante showed how even when he is played at a suboptimal position he is still among the best footballers in the world at that position. The question is never whether N’Golo Kante can do all the things a box-to-box midfielder can do, it’s whether that is the best use for him.

Kante could have made the run that set up the opening goal from any area of the pitch. He has the intelligence and discipline to know when he can do such a thing, and when he must stay back and let someone else carry the ball forward. Because of that, most managers – that is to say, just about all but one managers – will use him in his best position but trust his decision making to allow him to do what he did against Malmo. It’s quite logically consistent that the coach who uses him in one and only one position also thinks he is not “technical enough” to play another position, despite the evidence of the 55′ (amidst many other such moments).

Ross Barkley, Midfielder: 6

That goal of his really helped his rating, as right up until the moment he struck that free kick he was leaving us with plenty of questions over what he was doing out there, what happened to him and what will become of him. Barkley has not played enough to be suffering from fatigue. The demands of Sarri’s system are not overly foreign or taxing to him. Perhaps he is among the players in need of more motivation to be at his best.

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