Chelsea dueling player ratings: Job just done against Atletico Madrid

Callum Hudson-Odoi (Right wing back): 7/10

After suffering the greatest of footballing injustices against Southampton, the jury was out on how Hudson-Odoi would respond once he was reinstated to the lineup. Fortunately, Tuchel followed through on his assertions that Hudson-Odoi’s spot was in no way at risk, handing him a starting role in Chelsea’s biggest game to date under the new manager. While there weren’t any outright highlights from Chelsea’s newest wingback, there were few if any lowlights. It can be easy to forget how new Hudson-Odoi is to this position, considering how great he has looked since he took the gig. You only had to look at Atletico to see just how bad things can be when players are shunted into those wingback roles without any experience. It was, in many ways, the perfect response to the tumultuous few days since being subbed off half an hour after being brought on at halftime against the Saints. That story will continue to carry through for the next few weeks, but Hudson-Odoi’s solid performance on Tuesday will go a long way towards throwing dirt on that narrative for good.

Jorginho (Center Midfield): 6/10

Jorginho put in a performance that is best described as “okay, sure, that’ll do.” It was pretty much boilerplate stuff from the Italian: short passes that keep possession but accomplish very little, long balls that lead to chances on the off-chance they find their target, and effortful but undisciplined defending. Unfortunately, his inability to affect the game as a deep playmaker against an organized and entrenched defense shows exactly why he’s not a long-term solution for Chelsea. It was as typical a Jorginho performance as you’re likely to see all season. All it was missing was a skipping penalty.

Mateo Kovacic (Center Midfield): 6.5/10

There’s no question that Kovacic is shackled a bit when he’s paired with Jorginho in a two-man midfield. Rather than expending his boundless energy recovering possession and driving forward with the ball, it can sometimes feel like he’s forced to babysit his midfield partner, using his athleticism to cover the space Jorginho isn’t able to properly defend on his own, particularly against an aggressive and physical opponent like Atletico. There were too many instances where Kovacic and Jorginho were stationed no more than five yards apart right on the edge of the final third, exchanging unhelpful passes back and forth, only to eventually give up and swing the ball wide to a wingback, or turn around and roll it back lamely to a centerback. That’s hardly Kovacic’s fault, but it was a large portion of his performance on Tuesday, and it just isn’t right for what Tuchel will want this Chelsea side to ultimately look like.

Marcos Alonso (Left wing back): 7/10

Much like Jorginho, Alonso’s performance was pretty much the perfect representation of everything we already know about him: exceptionally skilled and creative going forward, aggressive yet clumsy in defense, and lacking the athleticism to consistently link the two together. For whatever reason, Alonso seemed to be in acres of space any time Chelsea regained possession, which allowed him to link well with Timo Werner and Mason Mount as Chelsea looked to get forward before Atletico could organize their trademark impenetrable wall at the edge of their penalty box. It was one of these moments of being slightly ahead of Atletico’s organization that allowed Alonso to play the cross that eventually led to Olivier Giroud’s stunning goal. That was the difference between the two side when all was said and done, so Alonso deserves credit for forcing the issue in the crucial moment.

N’Golo Kante (Substitute at 74′): 7/10

Kante came on and showed a surprising amount of ball control as Chelsea looked to kill the
game off by keeping pressure in the final third. Nothing particularly notable, but he played the
role of closer effectively enough to get Chelsea over the line.

Reece James (Substitute at 80′): 6/10

A logical defensive reinforcement in place of Callum Hudson-Odoi. James slotted right in an
immediately rose to match the intensity of the match unfolding around him, and played an
important role in seeing out the final fifteen or so minutes with the minimum of fuss.