The Pride of London
Fansided

Chelsea player ratings vs. Wolves: Finally, Blues fans can breathe

By Gabe Henderson

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 26: Willy Caballero of Chelsea makes a save during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge on July 26, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Craig Mercer/MB Media/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 26: Willy Caballero of Chelsea makes a save during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge on July 26, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Craig Mercer/MB Media/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – JULY 22: Mateo Kovacic of Chelsea looks on during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Chelsea FC at Anfield on July 22, 2020 in Liverpool, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – JULY 22: Mateo Kovacic of Chelsea looks on during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Chelsea FC at Anfield on July 22, 2020 in Liverpool, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) /

Reece James (Right wing-back): 6.5

This was not James’ best performance in a wing-back role. The youngster was pretty good defensively, but the faults lie in the versatile English defender’s time on the ball. James looked a bit too casual, a problem he’s had at times throughout the season. Further, Nuno Espirito Santo’s Wolves team did an excellent job completely phasing out James’ top attacking quality—his crosses. Maybe it was the formation, maybe it just wasn’t James’ day, but when it’s all said and done, he earned a clean sheet and more importantly, all three points.

Jorginho (Central midfielder): 6

One has to imagine the only reason Jorginho started this match is because N’Golo Kante was not fully fit. Regardless, the Italian international produced the same lackadaisical performance he has for a matter of weeks now. Jorginho slowed the game down, made some poor passing decisions and overall, looked out of sync with the side. However, to give credit where credit is due, he made some excellent reads and had a few adept tackles to stop Wolves’ attack. Not a terrible performance from Jorginho, but a shell of what his in-form self is capable of.

Mateo Kovacic (Central midfielder): 9

Had it not been for another Mason Mount masterclass, Kovacic would’ve been the runaway Man of the Match. Chelsea’s top performer this season proved once again how integral he is not only to this side, but to Lampard’s project moving forward. Kovacic’s ability to retain possession when closed down by multiple defenders, his dribbling skills and his link-up play make him one of the first names on the team sheet. It’s been nice to see the Croatian finally getting some recognition for his incredible skills. A Vice Captain in the making—should Jorginho depart—perhaps?

Marcos Alonso (Left wing-back): 6.5

An uncharacteristically mediocre performance from Alonso in the left wing-back role against Wolves. Nuno’s side kept him out of the build up as best it could, but that didn’t stop the Spaniard from continuing to get forward. He failed to do much in the final third, but that can be said for the entire team. The best thing Alonso did this match was step away from the free kick and allow Mount to take a turn, which led to the Blues’ opener.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Central midfielder): N/A

Loftus-Cheek replaced Kovacic in the dying minutes of the match. Not really much to say about his performance as Lampard made his substitutions with less than 10 minutes remaining in the match. More valuable minutes for Loftus-Cheek though. 

Ross Barkley (Central midfielder): N/A

Barkley got his first run-out in a few matches, it was nice to see the England international stretch his legs once more. He replaced Jorginho in the 88′, so there wasn’t much to rate him on. One wonders if he got into the game so fans could properly watch Jorginho trot off the Stamford Bridge turf one last time in a Chelsea shirt.

Home/Chelsea FC News