Chelsea 2022-23 season player ratings: Midfielders

Denis Zakaria (6.5/10)

It’s easy to forget that Denis Zakaria spent an entire season at Chelsea on loan from Juventus. The move didn’t work out as expected, as the managers who were in charge of Chelsea this season seemingly never took a liking to his qualities.

Despite limited opportunities, the Swiss midfielder brought much-needed physicality to the midfield and displayed decent technical skills on the ball. In a team that lacked a defensive midfielder, it would have been ideal to see Zakaria given more minutes in the traditional deep-lying number 6 role.

Conor Gallagher (5/10)

At the start of the season, Conor Gallagher’s future in the Chelsea midfield seemed uncertain.  With established names like Ngolo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho, and Mason Mount occupying similar positions, his chances for playing time appeared limited. However, a combination of injuries to some of those players, inconsistent form, and Jorginho’s departure unexpectedly created ample space for the young England international to prove himself. Despite the opportunities he received, Gallagher failed to make a significant impact on the team.

He showcased positive qualities as a box-to-box midfielder with his willingness to press and energy both on and off the ball. Conversely though, Gallagher’s pros are also correlated to his cons, his energy can come off as quite erratic on the ball leading to numerous dispossessions, misplaced passes and clear-cut chances on goal missed this season. Gallagher ranks 2nd among CFC players, after Raheem Sterling, for most dispossessions in the Premier League this season.