Chelsea went “away” to Atletico Madrid and just about got the job done. It wasn’t always the prettiest but the Blues came out ahead in a very professional performance. How did every one fare?
Edouard Mendy (Goalkeeper): 6/10
Not much to do between the sticks against an opponent that rarely offered anything going forward. Unfortunately, Mendy’s most notable moments were a handful of loose touches and scuffed passes. Had someone more athletic than Luis Suarez been closing him down, Atletico could have easily taken an early lead after one of Mendy’s mistakes. That said, his job is to keep the ball out of the net, and that’s exactly what he delivered, so it would be unfair to be too harsh on the guy.
Cesar Azpilicueta (Centerback): 8/10
With Callum Hudson-Odoi ahead of him as an exceptionally attack-minded wingback, Azpilicueta had the unenviable assignment of shepherding Joao Felix away from the play in the rare instances where Atletico looked to get forward. By and large, he did just that, save for Felix getting one chance to score from the game’s second-best bicycle kick attempt. More generally, Azpilicueta was arguably the best defender on the pitch, leading Chelsea in tackles, interceptions, clearances, aerial duels and blocked shots. If there is a knock on Azpilicueta’s performance, it’s that he wasn’t able to provide much going forward in a match where Chelsea were firmly on the front foot most of the time. That said, much like Mendy, Azpilicueta’s main job is to keep a clean sheet, and he did that, so there can’t be any major complaints.
Andreas Christensen (Centerback): 7.5/10
Considering Atletico’s reputation for physicality and aggression, Kurt Zouma would have been a more suitable pick for the central defender spot, at least on paper. Thomas Tuchel scoffed at that logical conclusion and instead went with the Dane, presumably for his skill on the ball in a game where Chelsea was likely to dominate possession. While he wasn’t exactly Franz Beckenbauer out there, he was Chelsea’s most accurate passer, completing 73 of 76 attempts. Azpilicueta and Antonio Rudiger hogged most of the measurable statistics, but Christensen did exactly what was needed from the central defender in Tuchel’s 3-4-3. He’ll likely return to being second choice when Thiago Silva is fully fit again, but a good showing against one of the more physically imposing teams in Europe was a massive victory for a player who seemed like a massive gamble when the team sheets came out.
Antonio Rudiger (Centerback): 7/10
Rudiger came perilously close to raising a hand to Luis Suarez’s face, but thought better of it, which is a small miracle in and of itself given Suarez’s reputation as an antagonist. That level of maturity was apparent in every other aspect of his performance as well, as he helped to cover the defensive shortcomings of Marcos Alonso and Jorginho ahead of him. Some of his best moments came late in the match as Chelsea tried to hold onto their advantage while Atletico threw every attacking player on their wage books forward. When faced with the opportunity to play the ball back to Mendy to recycle possession, Rudiger instead opted to avoid Atletico’s pressure entirely and just smash the ball into the stands. Hardly glorious, but absolutely the right thing to do. Rudiger has quickly cemented himself as one of the unquestionable starters under Tuchel, and his performance Tuesday night did nothing to change that.
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.
Mason Mount (Right winger): 9/10
The worst part of Mount’s performance came in the first minute, when he was issued a frankly
ridiculous yellow card that will rule him out of the return leg in March. Apart from that bit of
harsh refereeing, Mount was essentially flawless. While Chelsea struggled to create dangerous
chances through measured build up play, Mount was able to take things into his own hands and
create opportunities through his dribbling and ability to take up useful positions all over the
attacking third. Ironically, the best thing Mount did all game was to not touch the ball that was
eventually lobbed towards Olivier Giroud for the game’s only goal. Had he made contact with
it, the goal would have been rightly ruled offside and we’d be a bit less excited. Overall,
another peerless display from Chelsea’s up-and-coming centerpiece.
Timo Werner (Left winger): 7/10
Always the willing runner, Werner offered the type of energy and persistence that we have
come to expect. Atletico’s defenders were constantly being dragged out of their well-drilled
routines as they stretched to keep Werner in front of them, something that created pockets of
space for Chelsea’s other attackers to work with. It was another one of those games where
statistics won’t be particularly kind to the German, but it didn’t take a genius to see that he was
certain a positive contributor for the Blues.
Olivier Giroud (Center Forward): 8.5/10
I mean, let’s not overcomplicate things. Giroud scored the only goal of the match practically
out of thin air, and it could very well be Chelsea’s goal of the season. Nothing leading up to that
moment would have led anyone to think Giroud was due for a goal in the match, as he waited
for decent service from wide players and set piece takers that just never hit the mark. And yet,
when the one fatal moment came, Giroud was mentally locked in and perfectly poised to take
advantage of the slim chance afforded to him by Mario Hermoso’s shanked clearance. That
type of mentality was the only way Chelsea was ever going to get through Atletico’s organized
defensive structure, by pouncing on the one moment of chaos conceded by an otherwise
stalwart group of defenders. He continues to be an absolutely world-class pragmatist of a
goal scorer.
Hakim Ziyech (Substitute at 74′): 7/10
Perhaps an odd choice of someone to help settle any jangled nerves late in a tight match, but
Ziyech did exactly what he needed to do, and just about created one last chance for Werner to
put the game to bed near the end. While it was a short cameo, it was arguably the best Ziyech
has looked since the group stage matches.
Christian Pulisic (Substitute at 87′): N/A
Kai Havertz (Substitute at 87′): N/A
How do you think the players fared? What ratings would you change? How do these ratings compare to the other ratings article? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter!