Chelsea have now lost another game, this time in Europe. This makes the Blues winless in their last four games in all competitions. These horrible results come after the discussions about Enzo Maresca’s men being in the title race had picked back up. Clearly, this inexperienced squad is not ready yet.
Chelsea travelled to Italy to face Raffaele Palladino’s Atalanta, and while the Blues started well, things went downhill quickly. The two-time UEFA Champions League winners took the lead, and even led at halftime, but two unanswered second-half goals saw Maresca’s men leave with zero points for the second time in as many weeks.
Robert Sanchez did well again, as did some other players, but none of it was enough to prevent Chelsea from stumbling to another defeat. Let’s see how the players fared individually:
Chelsea player's heroics could not save them against Atalanta
Robert Sanchez: 7.5/10
Sanchez allowed half of the shots he faced, but his distribution was much better. There was not much he could have done for either of the goals. Though it would be incorrect to say Charles De Ketelaere’s goal was unsaveable. The Spaniard didn’t have his best showing, but he had a better showing than anyone else.
Josh Acheampong: 7/10
Acheampong was strong at right back. He won all his duels, and read the game well. Unfortunately, his passes weren't great, though he created one of Chelsea’s only two big chances in the game. With three interceptions, only one player made more than him on the pitch.
Trevoh Chalobah: 6.5/10
Chelsea’s centre-backs were poor in their ground duels on the night, but Chalobah was slightly worse, losing all three he contested. His reading of the game was otherwise very good, though. His passing was great, albeit safe, as he attempted zero long balls throughout the game.
Benoit Badiashile: 7/10
Badiashile will face criticism from fans because he always gets criticism from fans. His performance was not the issue though. He made more interceptions (4) than anyone else on the pitch, which is quite impressive for a centre-back. Unfortunately, like Chalobah, he was poor on the ground. On the other hand, like his defensive partner, he was great in the air. Both central defenders won 100% of their aerial battles. His distribution was excellent, completing all four of his attempted long passes.
Marc Cucurella: 6/10
You cannot say Cucurella was the problem, but he sure wasn’t the solution. He was average, doing okay in all thirds of the pitch. He created two chances, though they weren’t great ones.
Reece James: 6/10
James’s passing was good in the middle of the park, but he did not do much defensively. He lost all except one duel—and for a central midfielder, that’s not great. He was Chelsea’s best creator on the night, though, creating the away side’s only other clear-cut chance. His assist will make his rating higher than it should be.
Moises Caicedo: 7/10
Caicedo contested more than double the volume of James’s duels, and still won the majority of them. His passing was very good, as usual. His tackling was impeccable, winning all four he contested.
Pedro Neto: 4/10
Neto was poor. He offered nothing in any third. He was absent defensively and offensively. He took zero shots, and completed one dribble. It was a nothing performance from the Blues No. 7.
Enzo Fernandez: 4/10
Fernandez has always struggled as a number 10 for Chelsea, and the game against Atalanta was no different. He created one chance, but that was all. He contested several duels, to his credit, but didn’t win many of them.
Jamie Gittens: 5/10
Gittens was the most effective dribbler for Chelsea against Atalanta. He was also the Blues’ second-best shooter, getting a shot on target. The youngster, like Fernandez, contested many duels, but won only 3/10 of them.
Joao Pedro: 7/10
Pedro did well to contest with Atalanta’s centre-backs, even though he lost that battle. He won just 3/12 duels. His shooting was excellent, though. He accounted for 40% of the Blues’ shots on target, and of course, scored their only goal.
Wesley Fofana (46’ to 76’): 6.5/10
Unfortunately, the Frenchman had to be taken off again 30 minutes after his introduction to the game. This pushes him to the injury list again, not long after he returned to full fitness. He was good in his 30 minutes on the pitch, though.
Tosin Adarabioyo (76’): 4/10
Adarabioyo was poor, despite playing just 16 minutes. He misplaced four passes despite not attempting any long passes. He also lost the only aerial duel he contested. Atalanta played well, so it’s not surprising a substitute center-back struggled.
Alejandro Garnacho (66’): 6/10
Garnacho actually had a good game. He contributed 40% of Chelsea’s shots on target, as a substitute. He didn’t get too many chances on the ball, but he made the most of what he got.
Malo Gusto (67’): 5/10
Gusto was average. He also lost the only duel he contested. His passing was average too, and he lost the ball too many times considering how many touches he had.
Enzo Maresca: 4/10
Again, Maresca cooked something unpalatable. He played players out of position. His decision to play Fernandez at attacking midfield, James at central midfield, and Acheampong at right back, did not help the Blues on the night. He also didn’t give players like Estevao a chance to impact the game.