Chelsea wrapped up its official preseason festivities in front of a near-full crowd at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday. The Blues jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead against Tottenham in the first half via a classy Hakim Ziyech finish. The Moroccan Magician doubled the home side’s advantage 30 minutes later, immediately following the restart, with a nice deflected goal that found the far corner. It was a glorified training from there on as Thomas Tuchel made eight more changes over the remainder of the half, bringing the total for the match to 10. Edouard Mendy was the only one to play the entire 90′ and see out the 2-2 draw.
The Blues will now have one more preseason friendly (an intrasquad game) on Saturday before Wednesday’s UEFA Super Cup against Villarreal. Chelsea finished the official preseason period undefeated as it rounds the corner. The matches that count are now in sight and the Blues look up for the challenging task ahead.
Here is how each player performed against Tottenham:
Edouard Mendy (Goalkeeper): 5/10
It simply wasn’t Edouard Mendy’s day. He was good in the first half behind a starting-quality back three, although he had little to do. In all seriousness, Mendy could have pitched a tent in goal and been no worse for wear. The second half was a different story though. Tottenham got its first through a deflected Lucas Moura shot after the Blues switched formations to a 4-2-3-1. It was another mistake by the hosts that saw Spurs equalize mid-second half. Despite the mistake by an inexperienced defender, Mendy could’ve undoubtedly handled the shot better. This game was one of the Senegalese’s worst in a Chelsea shirt, luckily it counts for nada in the end.
Trevoh Chalobah (Right centerback): 9/10
Trevoh Chalobah has returned from his loan at Lorient, joined the Champions of Europe and all but booked his place in the team alongside some of the world’s best. He was on the outside looking in coming into the preseason. The younger brother of former Chelsea midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah was given little chance to make the squad a few weeks ago and now it’d be a shock if he didn’t stay. Tuchel has clearly been impressed as Chalobah has played more minutes than any outfield player in the last two contests—being taken off in the 86′ at Arsenal and the 80′ versus Spurs.
Kurt Zouma (Centerback): 8.5/10
Kurt Zouma has been subject to unwelcome transfer rumors and how has he responded? By playing his French ‘cul’ off. Zouma has reportedly turned down advances by both Sevilla and West Ham in favor of staying in SW6. He’s got a wonderful personality off the pitch, but his in-game actions are even more beloved. Zouma’s last-ditch tackles are a thing of beauty as it’s considered a treat to watch the perfect blend of aggression and technical ability. He was very good against Tottenham, giving Tuchel something to consider as the window heads into its final weeks.
Antonio Rudiger (Left centerback): 8/10
Antonio Rudiger put in his typical no-nonsense display against Spurs. He’s seemingly got the left centerback role on lock for as long as he’ll stay at Chelsea right now. Rudiger has undergone a total defensive transformation under Tuchel and it’s been an absolute pleasure to watch him perfect his craft in the Blues’ crest.
Callum Hudson-Odoi (Right wingback): 7.5/10
Callum Hudson-Odoi has enjoyed one of the finest preseasons of anyone in the squad. No matter where he’s been tasked with playing (left winger, right winger, left wingback or right wingback), he’s excelled. It seems as if he’s finally fully recovered from his injury and now it’s time to let him loose on the Premier League once again. Hudson-Odoi played right wingback for 45 minutes on Wednesday, often involving himself in attacking sequences and linking up nicely with Ziyech.
Mateo Kovacic (Central midfielder): 7.5/10
Mateo Kovacic got a solid 62 minutes under his belt against Spurs. He performed his usual duties, linking play through the middle of the park and completely bossing the Tottenham midfield. The Croatian often went unnoticed during the first half, by no fault of his own but rather the excellence of his partner. However, when he lined up alongside Tiemoue Bakayoko in the second half, his class was crystal clear. Kovacic’s dribbling ability and adept positioning are superb.
N’Golo Kante (Central midfielder): 10/10
N’Golo Kante only played 45 minutes, but he was the Man of the Match for anybody who watched. This is one of the best shifts the Frenchman has ever put in while wearing a Chelsea shirt. I know that may be big shoes to fill when considering he won the Man of the Match award in both Champions League semifinals and the final, he did it though. Unfortunately, Kante’s brilliance will largely go unnoticed in a week’s time due to the fact it was a preseason tune-up. Nevertheless, this was Kante at his absolute best.
Marcos Alonso (Left wingback): 8/10
Marcos Alonso was his usual attack-minded self during his time on the pitch. He got involved and even tried his hand at numerous acrobatic shots. Sadly he didn’t get on the scoresheet this go around, but the Spaniard is probably saving those outings for the meaningful matches against Tottenham later on down the line.
Hakim Ziyech (Right winger): 10/10
Ziyech scored the game’s opening goal 15 minutes in and that was only the tip of the iceberg. The Moroccan continued his brilliant preseason with a fine performance for the Blues against Tottenham. He found space, picked out great passes and glided around Spurs defenders with ease en route to one of his most energetic performances in a blue shirt. It’s only preseason, so all of this needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, but Ziyech has been at best in recent weeks. He capped off his brace in the 48′ before coming off in the 62′. In his final preseason showing for the Blues, Ziyech brought his goal tally for the period up to five, which led the team during this span.
Timo Werner (Center forward): 7.5/10
Timo Werner got 60 minutes under his belt and it was much of the same from the German. He got into excellent positions throughout the game. Werner continues to look more and more confident on the ball. His darting runs between the centerbacks made an appearance and even earned him a goal. However, even when VAR is not in use, the offsides rule continues to haunt him. The linesman unfairly ruled out a goal from the forwards for offsides when he was clearly about five or six feet onside. It’s not a big deal in the short term—nobody cares about preseason results—but it’s quite disappointing as it relates to Werner’s confidence. The final finish is the only thing his game is missing right now. If he can find that touch, he’ll instantly become one of the Premier League’s most important individuals.
Kai Havertz (Left winger): 8/10
Kai Havertz put in another good shift on the day. He perhaps wasn’t as involved as many would have hoped he’d be after his stellar showing against Arsenal. When he did manage to get on the ball though, he was a menace to Spurs’ defense. Expect big things from the emerging superstar this season now that he’s had some time to breathe, got a chance to fully recover from the previous season and racked up some experience in England.
Tiemoue Bakayoko (Central midfielder): 3/10
I am one of the biggest believers that there is still a talented player deep down inside of Tiemoue Bakayoko. He’s struggled to get out of the gate at almost every destination he’s been to and Chelsea is no different. Bakayoko is perhaps the ultimate victim of the Blues’ ruthlessness since Roman Abramovich took over. His debut season was one to forget, but that’s not to say there wasn’t some bright moments. Everyone will remember the match against Watford because it stood out, which is incredibly unfair.
All of this being said, there is no defending the Frenchman’s performance against Tottenham. He simply had to do everything right to even be considered for one of the team’s last spots—I’m convinced he did the opposite. Bakayoko is solely responsible for letting the visitors back into the game as it was his careless giveaway that led to Spurs’ opener. Bakayoko is a very talented footballer, as he’s shown in Serie A and Ligue 1. The Premier League isn’t for him. The silver lining to this truly atrocious outing was it is almost guaranteed to be Bakayoko’s last in a Chelsea shirt. I genuinely like the lad, so I wish him the absolute best at wherever this next chapter takes him.
Christian Pulisic (Right wingback): 6.5/10
Christian Pulisic’s performance is a difficult one to assess, more so than any of the other 20 players on the pitch during Wednesday’s clash. This is large-in-part due to Tuchel’s change in the formation based on the new personnel being introduced. Chelsea went from its traditional 3-4-3 to a 4-2-3-1 of sorts with Pulisic playing a weird role on the right side of midfield. If Chalobah had not taken on an advanced role and Alonso not sat back, I don’t think anybody would’ve truly realized there was a formational shift. Nevertheless, the point here being the fact Pulisic was difficult to assess due to his odd positioning, not knowing if it was intentional or he was lost.
The American played a decent game when he got involved into the attack. There were a few sloppy moments at the other end of the pitch though. This odd performance is the perfect way to sum up Pulisic’s preseason. At the end of the day, he’s healthy and if he has his health, there is nothing to worry about in regards to his performances.
Davide Zappacosta (Right back): 6/10
Davide Zappacosta honestly made more appearances this preseason than a majority of Blues fans expected him to make. The Italian fullback/wingback was energetic in all of them, this one included. He used his blistering pace to run up and down the sideline with ease, the crossing could have used a little work. Hey, that’s what preseason is all about though, identifying problem areas and working to improve them.
Ethan Ampadu (Centerback): 8/10
Ethan Ampadu is in a weird spot. On one hand it seems as if he’s ready for the first team after a few bad loan spells (ironic, I know). On the other, he’s not gotten any looks under Tuchel due to his lengthy absence from the side. Ampadu represented Wales (very well, I may add) at Euro 2020 and only just returned to Cobham on Monday. If there was a performance that’d convince the German manager, it was this one. Ampadu made lengthy passes with ease, was defensively sound despite being dealt a bad hand with Bakayoko shielding him. He even had a clearance off the line that prevented Spurs from turning the game on its head.
Malang Sarr (Left back): 4/10
Malang Sarr is the antithesis of Chalobah. When returned to London following his season in Porto, Sarr was one of those who many believed would make the squad. A few lackluster performances later and he’s little to justify his return in the short-term.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Central midfielder): 7/10
Ruben Loftus-Cheek was not special, but nobody is asking him to be right now. These games are about rediscovering the old midfielder inside his mind and it seems like they’ve worked to perfection. Supporters have ben treated to a few glimpses of the old RLC this preseason and he’s made his case to occupy the fourth midfield spot.
Tino Anjorin (Attacking midfielder): 7.5/10
Tino Anjorin is back. The young attacker has been out recently due to COVID-19, but he didn’t skip a beat. His strength, skill and pace were all on display throughout. The Spurs keeper kept his sure-to-be timeless shot out of the back of the net, making it nothing more than a compilation of all his skills inside one clip. Anjorin is an amazing prospect.
Kenedy (Left winger): 6.5/10
Raise your hand if you thought you’d see Kenedy this late in the summer. To those with hands up, put it down and quit lying. Kenedy wasn’t great, but he was far from poor in his advanced role.
Tammy Abraham (Striker): 7/10
The prospect of this potentially being Tammy Abraham’s last run out at Stamford Bridge is quite sad. It’s one everyone will like to forget though, the No. 9 was the definition of average.
Matt Miazga (Centerback): N/A
Matt Miazga came on at the 80′ mark, reminding some that he still existed. Not much the American can do in 10 minutes though.
What would you rate each of the players? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!