Chelsea player ratings: Reece James has outgrown being a “prospect”

A lot was comfortable about Chelsea’s win at Stamford Bridge against Burnley, including selecting Reece James as man of the match.

Chelsea’s comfortable victory over Burnley was the result of good performances from just about everyone in blue, and some exceptional efforts by a few players in particular. Some people might have raised an eyebrow when the starting XI was announced, but Frank Lampard’s decisions resulted in a much-needed home win that the whole squad deserves credit for.

Kepa Arrizabalaga, Goalkeeper: 6

Go ahead and watch the match highlights. You’ll hardly even catch a glimpse of Chelsea’s goalkeeper. It’s not that he was their worst player, it’s just that he was the least involved. And against a hobbled and underperforming side like Burnley, you would hope that would be the case.

Arrizabalaga has bailed Chelsea out on a few occasions this season, so it was nice for the rest of the squad to perform well enough to give him a free clean sheet and what was effectively a day off.

Reece James, Right back: 9

What more could you ask of a modern fullback? The only other athlete who could hit a ball with that type of pinpoint accuracy was Tiger Woods at his peak.

Amazingly, James’ cross for Tammy Abraham’s goal wasn’t even in the top five best pieces of skill he showed against Burnley. The dribbling that led to his shot on goal would have made Willian proud. While his many, many attacking contributions stand out in the highlights, his defensive work rate and athleticism were even more indicative of just how special a prospect he clearly is. In fact, this match probably ended the need to call him a prospect at all.

Based on this performance, he’s simply one of Chelsea’s best players now. He had a few silly fouls that were the result of trying a bit too hard, but it was an otherwise imperious display from a player who is still just 20 years old.

Antonio Rudiger, Center back: 7

It wasn’t exactly a heroic day for Chelsea’s defense, but Rudiger made his presence felt just the same. Typifying his efforts was the incident that left Chris Wood’s nose in a bloody mess. Rudiger walked away from the carnage as if nothing had happened.

Beyond his usual defensive strength and aggressiveness, he played a role in starting Chelsea’s attacking moves. No one would call Rudiger an especially skilled player on the ball, but his willingness to carry the ball up to the center circle allowed more of Chelsea’s attacking threats to take positions in the final third.

Add in the bonus of securing a rare clean sheet, and there’s no complaining about Rudiger’s performance. Unless you’re Chris Wood.

Andreas Christensen, Center back: 7

Christensen, much like Ross Barkley, received a rare start against Burnley after a positive performance against Nottingham Forest. There weren’t too many instances that required his immediate intervention, but Christensen was excellent in the air when needed. That’s a must-have against a side like Burnley.

Christensen has often been accused of lacking the physicality required of a Premier League center back, but you wouldn’t have said so on the basis of this performance. It may only be a sample size of two matches, but this version of Andreas Christensen could be a major factor for the Blues in the home stretch of the season.

Cesar Azpilicueta, Left back: 7

Given the rise of Reece James and the flagging form of Marcos Alonso and Emerson, Azpilicueta’s cameos at left back might be the new norm. If that’s the case, Chelsea will be in a better place defensively, if somewhat blunted in attack.

Against Burnley, everything worked out fine since James was tearing things up on the right side. The Clarets didn’t offer much going forward, so Azpilicueta spent most of the match contributing to Chelsea’s attacking play. The assist he registered on Hudson-Odoi’s goal — a right-footed cross from the left wing — was atypical for a fullback, and it missed its intended target (Abraham), but it was a heads up play and effectively ended the match.

Overall, he was more than good enough on Saturday, and his versatility will continue to be a major asset to the club.