Chelsea player ratings: Wolves’ goal summed up many Blues’ performances

Chelsea needed a moment of magic from Eden Hazard to salvage one point from the preceding 90 minutes of tedium. Here are our player ratings from an afternoon that would have been forgettable if it had made much of an impression in the first place.

Chelsea and Wolves showed why – barring any major changes to either team – they will be battling each other for the last spot among the top six next season. Since Wolves’ goal captured so much about what was wrong with Chelsea on Sunday, wherever possible, these player ratings will focus on Blues’ contributions to that incident.

Kepa Arrizabalaga, Goalkeeper: 6

Wolves’ counter-attack was the sort of situation Arrizabalaga has faced many times this season and that we normally sum up with the phrase “He deserves better.” He still does. No goalkeeper should have to spend his game going through all the mental tricks and drills to stay focussed when the play rarely comes within 50 yards of him, only to be left with little to no chance of coming through with a save when the ball comes his way.

However, since it is a regular occurrence, Arrizabalaga not only needs to learn to put up with it but to mitigate it.

One of the final errors from Chelsea in the build-up to that goal was Antonio Rudiger over-committing to Diogo Jota, leaving Raul Jimenez open for the pass. Arrizabalaga must find his voice and start directing his defenders, not only on set pieces but on open play, including counter-attacks. This requires the sort of quick thinking and command that Chelsea have not had in goal since Petr Cech, and is part of what made Petr Cech the great that he is.

Cesar Azpilicueta, Right back: 7.5

Cesar Azpilicueta was the only Chelsea player running at a full sprint to catch up with Wolves on that goal, much like how he was the only Chelsea player making runs off the ball and trying to punch a way through Wolves’ defence for the majority of the game.

Azpilicueta was holding his defensive zone near midfield Wolves started to break out of their zone. Once he saw Jota and Jimenez break through five (5!) Chelsea players, he hit the afterburners and nearly put a foot in to knock the ball away from Jimenez at the crucial moment.

Azpilicueta was the most active player on and off the ball for most of the game, looking for chances to set up Pedro or for any movement from Gonzalo Higuain that could warrant a cross into the box. This is the kind of performance we expect from Azpilicueta, but he should not be alone in providing it at both ends of the pitch.

Antonio Rudiger, Centre back: 6.5

Rudiger was the last man back and, until the second-to-last split second, the only man back defending the Jota-Jimenez counter-attack. Rudiger was left defending in a 2v1 and, in the absence of any instructions, communication or intent to come out from his goalkeeper, the German committed fully to Jota and left Jimenez open. He was in a no-win situation worthy of being addressed at training, but in no way does this goal fall mainly on him.

David Luiz, Centre back: 4.5

Like many opposition counter-attacks, for instant turbo-boost, just add David Luiz. Luiz stepped into a tackle near the midfield circle and let both the man and the ball go past him. He stopped long enough to say “D’Oh!” in exasperation, and then maybe a bit longer than that. By the time he started retreating towards his own goal, Jota and Jimenez were running at full tilt with only Azpilicueta matching their pace and effort.

The most damning part of Luiz’s failure to cover back was that a third Wolves runner, who started behind Luiz at midfield, beat Luiz to Chelsea’s six-yard box. So if Cesar Azpilicueta had nicked the ball off Jimenez’s feet, or if Kepa Arrizabalaga had scrambled back and cleared the ball off his goal line with a desperate paw, the third Wolves player would have been there to knock the ball into the net two full strides before David Luiz would have arrived to clear.

Chelsea also need someone else to take free kicks if both Marcos Alonso and Willian are on the bench. Neither the men in the wall nor the guy sitting in the 23rd row behind the goal deserves to take a Luiz Special in the face.

Emerson, Left back: 5

This whole counter-attack sounds like the sort of thing N’Golo Kante would normally be all over. But Emerson ran into Kante at midfield as they both went for the tackle, allowing Wolves to move the ball past them and taking both Blues out of the play.

Note: When in doubt, let Kante go in for the tackle.

Otherwise, Emerson brought little to the pitch. Chelsea could have used a few left-footed crosses from the left flank to try put something in the box for Gonzalo Higuain, but instead Emerson reinforced Eden Hazard’s attempts to run the ball at Wolves, turn back, run the ball at Wolves, turn back, run the ball at Wolves, you see what’s happening here. To be fair to Emerson, this game was a variation of what we wrote about yesterday: given the tactics, no one at left back would look good. Alonso has a few skills that may have been better suited, but everybody loses on Sarriball Sunday.