Chelsea 2-0 Blackburn: 3 Impressive Blues

Benoit Badiashile (No. 5) Centerback, France

This was Badiashile’s first game in over five months and he didn’t look like it at all. The centerback was composed, doing all the right things and keeping it simple. He found himself out of position just once, needing Axel Disasi to run across the back line to clear the danger. The former was a large part of why the away side didn’t get near Chelsea’s goal. According to Sofascore, Badiashile won 2/2 tackles he attempted, 2/2 ground duels, 3/3 aerial duels, and completed 59/62 passes, including 2/2 long balls. He was imperious, playing a key role in the buildup and making sure that he did not try any unnecessarily risky passes, especially because there were several players on his team already trying long balls at the slightest opportunity.

Badiashile topped off a superb performance with a goal that gave the west London side the lead, turning in a rebound after placing himself in perfect position from a corner. The Frenchman was taken off after 61 minutes, which was not surprising because he had not played in five months and probably couldn’t go the full 90 minutes. He showed what many have known for a while, which is that he is not really in contention with anyone for a starting spot, as he is comfortably the Blues’ best centerback and should start whatever games he is fit for.