Chelsea travelled to the City Ground to face Nottingham Forest on the first day of the new year. And it was the home side who came out on top and earned a much deserved point at home, frustrating a Blues team that was below average from the get go.
In the first half, Nottingham Forest setup from the get go to play on the counter and the first clear cut chance came when Johnson was one on one with Kepa on the 10th minute but failed to convert. But not long after that, Raheem Sterling gave Chelsea a lucky lead as the ball fell right in front of him after coming off the crossbar.
From then on the game become more fierce with tackles flying left right and centre with Chelsea’s defence being tested multiple times by the pace of Forest attackers. In the second half, CFC became all stale and couldn’t get out of their own box with Forest’s constant pressure which resulted in a much deserved equalizer by Serge Aurier in the 63rd minute. In the remaining minutes, the away outfit created only one good chance which was not successfully taken by Aubameyang in the 80th minute and the game ended at 1-1.
Here’s how each Chelsea player fared in another below average performance against Nottingham Forest:
1. Kepa Arrizabalaga (Goalkeeper): 7/10
Kepa did really well to save Johnson’s effort in the 10th minute and was very comfortable in the first half. But as the game progressed, Chelsea became worse and Kepa couldn’t keep another clean sheet but did enough to not lose the game.
2. Marc Cucurella (Left Back): 7/10
Marc Cucurella again maintained his good form in defence despite the team as a whole performing well below average. The Spaniard defending well in the box again and ristricted Forest’s attackers from the left side. Positive day for Cucurella at least.
3. Thiago Silva (Centerback): 7/10
With the home side on top for majority of the game and playing to Chelsea’s weakness, that is pace, Thiago Silva did struggle with the pace aspect but his experience again was imperative in Chelsea not losing all three oints today.
4. Kalidou Koulibaly (Centerback): 5/10
As the days go on it seems as if the investing on Koulibaly might be a mistake. Maybe it is too early to say that but throughout the game Koulibaly was not efficient with his passing along with him struggling to cope with the pace of Forest attackers. Awoniyi got the better of him throughout the game and the Senegalese international continues to deliver inconsistent performances.
5. Cesar Azpilicueta (Right Back): 6/10
With Azpilicueta replacing the injured Reece James it was very evident that Chelsea would loss their attacking threat, which is exactly what happened. CFC were really ineffective from the right but what the captain did well was defend and attempted some major blocks to deny Forest from scoring.
6. Mason Mount (Central Midfielder): 6/10
The constant pressing from the home side meant Mason Mount was barely involved in the attacking half. Mount had to constantly drop deep in order to get the ball but lack of game control from the Blues meant major of our playmakers barely got involved. Mount was replaced by Aubameyang in the 73rd minute.
7. Jorginho (Central Midfielder): 5/10
Throughout the game the Italian midfielder was barely involved and was pretty much anonymous both defensively and attacking wise. Jorginho was replaced by Conor Gallagher in the 73rd minute.
8. Denis Zakaria (Central Midfielder): 6/10
Denis Zakaria was again very important today as Chelsea needed that physical presence in the midfield to cope with the constant pressure of Nottingham Forest players. But as the game went on, Zakaria’s presence and influence on the game dwindled. The Swiss was replaced by Kovacic in the 60th minute.
9. Raheem Sterling (Right Winger): 6/10
Sterling was at the right place at the right time to finish off a lucky goal for Chelsea to give them the lead but throughout the game he kept losing the ball continuously giving the Tricky Trees the chance to counter. Was barely involved in the second half and was replaced by Hakim Ziyech in the 73rd minute.
10. Kai Havertz (Striker): 6/10
Throughout the game Havertz was a bit on and off with his performance today as he had to deal with the physicality of Forest defenders, which is the German’s weakness. As the game progressed and the team got worse, Havertz started dropping off in the midfield to get the ball leaving Chelsea with no presence upfront.
11. Christian Pulisic (Left Winger): 6/10
Delivered a good cross which lead to the Chelsea opener and was constantly involved with the ball dribbling forward but as the game progressed, the American international became less influencial. He was relaced by Chukwumeka in the 87th minute.
12. Mateo Kovacic (Central Midfielder): 6/10
Kovacic came on for Zakaria in the 60th minute to control the game but Chelsea conceded very soon after he came on. The Croatian midfielder got more of the ball and tried to make forward passes but was not much successful.
13. Hakim Ziyech (Right Winger): 6/10
Hakim Ziyech came on for Raheem Stering in the 73rd minute and coming back from a successful World Cup tournament, he did look sharp and played a good cross inside for Aubameyang which he should have converted but it just went wide. Apart from that, there was not much the Moroccan international could do to influence the game.
14. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Striker): 5/10
Aubameyang came on for Mason Mount in the 73rd minute and came the closest to score the winner for Chelsea only for him to not connect well enough to put the ball back in the net. Apart from that, he was barely involved.
15. Conor Gallagher (Central Midfielder): 5/10
Conor Gallagher came on for Jorginho in the 73rd minute and brought in some much needed energy in the midfield but couldn’t really influence the game much.
16. Carney Chukwuemeka (Central Midfielder): NA
Chukwuemeka came on for Pulisic in the 87th minute but couldn’t do much to influence the game. However, one good point to note is that Potter is offering chances to the younger squad members. In addition to that, CFC are signing other very talented up-and-coming players.