Chelsea player ratings vs. West Ham: Pulisic shines as Blues fall
By Ishan Shah
N’Golo Kante (Midfielder): 6
As much assurance as he provides defensively, Kante showed today that he is not a good enough passer to play as a No. 6. Its obvious to see the strength of having him in that position against a dominant side like Manchester City, where Chelsea needs to be more solid in midfield; however, against a team that defends deep with two lines of defence, it would be better off to start Jorginho, Kovacic or even Billy Gilmour in order to move the ball quicker.
Mateo Kovacic (Midfielder): 7
Kovacic isn’t the most dangerous player in the final third and he did not make any glaring mistakes, but at the same time, he was not as threatening as perhaps Lampard would have liked. He was very good defensively in the first half, winning the ball back in midfield multiple times and once again showed off his silky dribbling skills.
Ross Barkley (Midfielder): 5
Preferred over Mason Mount today, Barkley did not do enough to justify Lampard’s faith in him. He seemed to slow down the game at times and wasn’t as potent in the final third as Chelsea needed him to be.
Mason Mount (Midfielder): 7.5
Mount instantly brought up the energy levels of the Chelsea attacks after coming on, which helped speed up the tempo of the game. His set-piece delivery was also good and his constant pressure when closing down opponents helped Chelsea win the ball back quickly in the latter stages of the second half.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Midfielder): N/A
Important minutes once again for Loftus-Cheek, who looks like he is getting sharper with every game. He did not take too many risks, but got the basics right, which will do his confidence good. He still looks a step behind everybody else in terms of sharpness, but that will only come back through playing more games.