Chelsea player ratings at Brighton: The next generation begins
By Ishan Shah
N’Golo Kante (Midfielder): 9
Watching a Kante masterclass is always a pleasure, especially for the section of fans who believe that Chelsea should not consider selling the Frenchman just yet. Kante’s main role against Brighton was to sit in front of the back four—alongside midfield partner Jorginho—and he performed this role to perfection. As the saying goes: Kante was everywhere.
The highest-rated Chelsea player on FIFA 21 made six interceptions and three tackles, successfully breaking up Brighton attacks in midfield. Furthermore, Kante took on passing responsibilities too, completing a game-high 92.5 percent of passes. This season, fans can expect to see Kante occupying the role of sole destroyer at the base of a midfield three. His 100 percent ground duel success compared to Jorginho’s 40 percent success shows that Kante is much more reliable in a system that utilizes two No. 8s.
Jorginho (Midfielder): 6
Playing alongside Kante instead of a suspended Kovacic, Jorginho’s game was filled with good and bad moments. As always, he was constantly available for a pass and played an important role in adding balance to Chelsea’s attacking front four. It is well known that defending and making recoveries are not Jorginho’s strengths, but tonight Lampard will feel let down by his passing numbers.
Jorginho is regarded as one of the most efficient passes in world football, yet completed only 82.7 percent of his passes. Despite making two key passes, Jorginho only completed 50 percent of his long balls, which meant that he was ineffective in switching the play to the opposite side. If he continues to struggle on the ball against lesser opposition, Lampard will find it hard to give him the game time he demands with the talent available in the squad
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Midfielder): 3
Just as he was breaking through into Chelsea’s starting XI two seasons ago, Loftus-Cheek suffered a near career-ending injury that kept him out of action for 13 long months. This is not an excuse for poor performances, just the context of the situation. By the end of this season, we will know whether or not Loftus-Cheek is ready to compete for a place under Lampard. Until then, Chelsea fans can just watch and hope that he returns to his best.
Loftus-Cheek was very effective in being one of the four players pressing the Brighton defenders, which even lead to the penalty won for Chelsea’s first goal. However, the Englishman was poor on the ball, completing zero out of three dribbles and only 66.7 percent of his passes. He lost the ball a total of 12 times which must not have improved his confidence levels for the next game.
Ross Barkley (Midfielder): 7
Ross Barkley replaced a struggling Loftus-Cheek just around the hour mark. He was brought on at a time when Chelsea was failing to hold onto the ball for too long. Barkley was very impressive off the bench and Chelsea began playing much better after his arrival onto the pitch. His 86.4 percent passing accuracy helped the Blues keep possession of the ball and his silky footwork also won two fouls, which helped slow the game down towards the end.