The Pride of London
Fansided

Chelsea player ratings from the absolute Arsenal debacle

By Vansh Ambashta

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 26: Kurt Zouma of Chelsea holds off Joe Willock of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on December 26, 2020 in London, England. The match will be played without fans, behind closed doors as a Covid-19 precaution. (Photo by Andrew Boyers - Pool/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 26: Kurt Zouma of Chelsea holds off Joe Willock of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on December 26, 2020 in London, England. The match will be played without fans, behind closed doors as a Covid-19 precaution. (Photo by Andrew Boyers - Pool/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 12: Jorginho of Chelsea reacts during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on May 12, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 12: Jorginho of Chelsea reacts during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on May 12, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images) /

Reece James 7.5/10, Right Wingback

Reece James was his usual self as he owned the right wing with his pace and physicality. What seemed baffling was that Chelsea and James did not cross anything despite Olivier Giroud’s presence in the final half-hour. The tactics and the game plan did not match the personnel on that field.

Billy Gilmour 7.5/10, Center Mid

First of all, it is essential to give credit to Thomas Tuchel for starting Billy Gilmour three games in a row in the Premier League. Now, it’s time to take the credit away as well. Against Arsenal, Tuchel decided to put Callum Hudson-Odoi on and took Gilmour off. Despite Jorginho’s horror show in the first half, Gilmour was sacrificed. It is important to note that Gilmour was one of the few Chelsea players who looked energetic and positive. The substitution had the right idea, but the wrong execution as Gilmour needed to stay on the pitch. All things considered, Gilmour deserves to start the FA Cup final along with N’Golo Kante, and it would be the right decision to bench Jorginho for one game.

What is even more interesting is that Tuchel changed the formation with the substitution, and Chelsea looked pretty uncomfortable in most of the second half.

Related Story. Chelsea vs Arsenal: What's the point of VAR anymore?. light

Jorginho 3/10 Center Mid

The goal wasn’t on Zouma. The goal wasn’t on Arrizabalaga. The goal was on Jorginho. Anyone saying otherwise didn’t watch the game. Chelsea has been building out from the back since the beginning of the season in a possession-based system. Jorginho has played in possession-based systems throughout his life. He had a lot of time to look at Arrizabalaga and knew his position. Yet, he panicked and passed it back towards his net with his goalkeeper out of place. The good thing is that Jorginho was decent after that awful moment and didn’t make any more mistakes. However, it looked like the mistake was on his mind throughout the game as he missed most of his long balls, completed only one out of five attempted longballs and lost possession sixteen times as well.

Ben Chilwell 6/10, Left Wingback

Ben Chilwell wasn’t great, but he wasn’t poor either. It was an average performance that was perhaps a wake-up call for the Englishman and everyone else. Chilwell’s linkup with Mount was brilliant again, and they genuinely have a great understanding of each other’s game. Other than that, Chilwell attempted two crosses, both were inaccurate, and he tried four longballs, all of which were inaccurate as well. What is striking is that Chilwell lost possession seventeen times, and that is pretty shocking. This type of loose football will not be acceptable in either of the finals, and Chilwell needs to reflect and improve on this performance.

Home/Premier League