Chelsea at Manchester City player ratings: Lackluster across the board

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TOPSHOT – Manchester City’s Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne (L) avoids a challenge by Chelsea’s French midfielder N’Golo Kante during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on January 15, 2022. (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images) /

Cesar Azpilicueta (Right wingback): 6/10

Cesar Azpilicueta was deployed as a right wingback for the game given the long-term injury to Reece James. For the majority of the afternoon, the captain only had to defend. The Spaniard barely got the chance to go into the opponent’s half and be of any menace to Man City’s defense. Defensively, Azpilicueta was good enough to eliminate the attacking threat of Grealish and Joao Cancelo.

N’Golo Kante (Central midfielder): 6.5/10

N’Golo Kante was restored to the starting XI after his absence due to COVID issues. The French midfielder was very sloppy in the first half, misplacing many passes, but was also the one to win a lot of balls in the midfield. Kante was energetic throughout the game, it’s no secret that he should have brought down De Bruyne before his goal though.

Mateo Kovacic (Central midfielder): 6/10

The Croatian midfielder was one of the very few players to start a game well, but as the game progressed, he started making mistakes. During the first half, Kovacic did well in the midfield, nicking the ball away from high pressing Man City midfielders. On the 40′ mark, Kovacic was let off the hook by Arrizabalaga after his pass went straight to Grealish just outside the penalty box. As the second half progressed, Kovacic did a lot better attacking-wise and took some much-needed risks, which sometimes resulted in losing possession in dangerous positions.

Marcos Alonso (Left wingback): 5/10

As the lone recognized natural wingback in the squad, Marcos Alonso played on the left and was on the ropes for the whole game. The Spaniard got booked for a silly challenge on Raheem Sterling in the 7′. Alonso was lucky that the majority of the Man City attack came from the other side as it was clear to see that Alonso’s lack of speed and defensive ability made him a big liability. He was substituted by Mason Mount in the 80′.

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