Chelsea player ratings vs. Norwich: Blues bounce back
By Nate Hofmann
Willian (Right winger): 7
He just looks tired. Willian is at his best when he can use his fast-twitch abilities to create separation from defenders, slip in to win the ball from an opponent and hit quick passes with no backswing. As Project Restart’s demanding schedule rolls on, Willian has been less and less able to offer a full match of the kinds of flicks and tricks that make him effective.
Against Norwich, Willian looked to be at a breaking point, where his tired body couldn’t keep up with the game his mind was envisioning. His defining contribution to the match was the bombardment of crosses he provided: 13 in total, six of which reached their target and none of which led to a goal. That’s a defining trait for the Brazilian: an unstoppable dedication to forcing a positive outcome. If anyone has earned the right to a match off, it’s Willian. Unfortunately for him, there aren’t any matches left where Lampard can afford to keep him on ice.
There are no complaints to be had about Willian’s performance on Tuesday. It was just a great effort on tired legs. Not much more to it than that.
Olivier Giroud (Striker): 8
On another day, Giroud walks away with the match ball, having scored at least a hat-trick. On Tuesday, he was forced to settle for only one goal, with a healthy list of missed opportunities to go with it.
There was really only one chance that Giroud himself ruined, where he badly mishit a ball with his weaker right foot. It was similar to the goal he scored against Crystal Palace, but he was unable to tuck it away this time. His frustration was clear, and it continued to grow for the rest of his time on the pitch.
The goal he did score, however, was classic Giroud. While Pulisic created space to get a cross in, Giroud grappled his way past Timm Klose, setting himself in position to dive in to meet the in-swinging cross. It was the type of intelligent, physical forward play that Tammy Abraham is hopefully aspiring to.
As the season winds down, it looks like Olivier Giroud will hang onto the starting striker role for the last few matches. He’s in excellent goal-scoring form, and his general attacking play is working nicely with Willian and Pulisic. For whatever reason, he ended up out on the wings repeatedly against Norwich, which isn’t ideal. But when the moment came, Giroud was right where he needed to be to score the deciding goal.
Christian Pulisic (Left winger): 8
Similar to Willian, Pulisic looks absolutely beat. The difference, however, is that while Willian’s fatigue manifests as slower movement and less agility, Pulisic’s was expressed as a litany of fouls against Norwich players. Pulisic led Chelsea with four fouls, with Mateo Kovacic as the only other player to register more than one. That makes sense when you see how physical Pulisic’s game is when he’s well-rested and in full flow.
A lot of Pulisic’s success comes from being first to get to a ball, whether it’s from his own knock-on or a loose ball from someone else. Against Norwich, he was late to just about every ball, and ended up clipping opponents more often than not.
Of course, he still possesses enough technical skill to be effective without using his full athletic ability. Of all the crosses Chelsea rained in towards Olivier Giroud, it was Pulisic’s in first half stoppage time that connected with the Frenchman’s forehead for the only goal of the match. He was also the only player other than Giroud to have any truly threatening attempts, forcing two smart saves from Tim Krul. He was mercifully substituted in the 80′, to get at least a few extra minutes of rest before he’s surely called upon again this weekend.
It wasn’t quite Man of the Match stuff, but Pulisic was one of the few players out there who can claim to have had any tangible effect on Chelsea’s victory.
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Callum Hudson-Odoi (Left winger): 6
A short cameo, but an effective one. Hudson-Odoi replaced Pulisic in the 80′, and did a good job of keeping the ball and maintaining possession for Chelsea late in the match. It’s good to see the 19-year-old out there doing things that actively help Chelsea win matches. It wasn’t anything for the YouTube compilations, but his work was meaningful in putting a stressful match to bed.
Tammy Abraham (Striker): 6
It’s been a rough go for Abraham since the restart. After Tuesday’s match, he’s almost certainly the backup striker for the rest of the season, given Olivier Giroud’s excellent form. Like the other substitutes against Norwich, he came on and helped to release the tension that was building as Norwich tried to press forward, by trying to serve as a target man upfield. Against Klose, Abraham’s weakness in the air was fully on display, and it served as a reminder as to why he’s behind Giroud on the depth chart. There will be important minutes in Abraham’s near future, and he’ll have chances to win matches, just as he did against Crystal Palace. It may not be the starring role that he played for so much of the season, but there’s still a chance he’ll be the hero when all is said and done this season.
Chelsea wasn't good, but the Blues were good enough. dark. Next
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