• May 23, 2022
• Olaoluwa Nwobodo

Chelsea welcomed Watford to Stamford Bridge for Championship Sunday where they controlled the game from start to finish, and yet still nearly did not win. Chelsea had taken the lead in the 11th minute, not long after Kai Havertz had missed a sitter. Chelsea created many more quality chances after taking the lead, especially in the second half. Watford eventually equalized in the 87th minute through Dan Gosling, but Ross Barkley made sure Chelsea still left with all three points, subjecting Watford to one point in their last nine games. Chelsea was fantastic yesterday, but how did the players perform individually?

Goalkeeper: 14 clean sheets it is

Mendy was hung out to dry for the goal Watford scored. Mendy was actually very good in this game. He made two saves and had a 100% passing accuracy, despite making 3 long balls. Mendy ends the season with a 70% save success rate. The same as last season. He also ends the season with 14 Premier League clean sheets in 34 games. He has the chance the win the Champions League Golden glove if neither Alisson nor Thibaut Courtois keeps a clean sheet. He also has a better Goals Against per 90 (GA90) than both goalkeepers so the worst case is that he’s tied with one of them in clean sheets, in which case he likely still wins the golden glove because of his goals conceded numbers. Overall Mendy had a good game against Watford.
Rating: 7

Defenders: Flawless… almost

The defenders were superb for the most part. Their defensive awareness and ball distribution were very good. Rudiger was perfect, winning all six of his duels and registering a 91% pass completion despite 9 long balls attempted. He also made 9 defensive actions, including two blocked shots. Rudiger was substituted off to a standing ovation by the Chelsea faithful.

Thiago Silva was equally impressive. He boosted a 98% pass accuracy despite five long balls attempted. He won five out of six duels and made 9 defensive actions as well. He had 107 touches and only lost possession three times. Cesar Azpilicueta delivered a 93% passing accuracy despite attempting 107 passes. He won 5 out of 10 duels and also made… you guessed right; nine defensive actions. The centerbacks that started the game were impeccable.
Ratings: Azpilicueta (8), Silva (8), Rudiger (8)

Midfielders: The wingbacks bag assists

Chelsea’s midfielders were equally as dominant. Saul Niguez came in to feature alongside N’Golo Kante. Saul and Kante were brilliant. Saul clocked a 94% passing accuracy. He was excellent off the ball though, as he won 11 out of 19 contested duels and 8 tackles, more than anyone on the pitch. Kante’s dribbling was not good but every other thing was. He won the majority of his duels and had a 96% passing accuracy. He also made 6 defensive actions.

Kenedy started at left wingback and made Thomas Tuchel and all Chelsea fans proud. He created a clear-cut chance, won five out of 12 duels, and made five tackles. He created the goal that gave Chelsea the lead, finding Kai Havertz in incredulous space. Reece James was not as dominant on the right-hand side. He also created a clear-cut chance, and this time, to create Chelsea’s winner in the 91st minute. James won just two out of his 6 duels contested, he won two fouls and actually made no positive defensive contribution.
Ratings: James (7), Kante (7), Saul (8), Kenedy (8)

Forwards: Delivered the win

The forwards were very much involved in the game against Watford. Mason Mount was good. Though he missed a big chance, he also created one. He won six out of nine duels. He made four tackles and often made the right decisions in possession. Kai Havertz showed very good movement getting on the end of two big chances, and scoring one. His league goal tally is now up to right, same as Lukaku. Havertz hit the bar and had two shots on target. He won 5 out of 12 contested. Havertz was very good.

Ziyech tried many things. You could say he tried too many things. This is evident in the fact that he had 23 possession losses. He also had two shots on target. He contested 15 duels and only won three of them. He was much better in the first half. He attempted 8 dribbles and only completed one. He did create two chances, including one clear-cut chance. Overall Ziyech did not have a good game.
Ratings: Ziyech (6.5), Mount (7.5), Havertz (7.5)

Substitutes and Manager

Malang Sarr came on for Rudiger in the 65th minute and made no defensive action. He did have a 95% passing accuracy and won the only duel he contested. Unfortunately he’d be remembered for losing his marker Dan Gosling who peeled off him to head home Adam Masina’s perfect cross.

Then there was Ross Barkley who was downright superb in the 25 minutes he was on the pitch. Barkley took three shots on target, more than anyone else on the pitch. He created a chance and won four out of an impressive six duels contested. Most importantly, the Englishman scored Chelsea’s winner in the 91st minute, not long after Gosling had equalized for Chelsea. This time the lead stuck, largely because the Blues didn’t have to defend it for 79 minutes.

Ben Chilwell did not play for up to two minutes. This would be his first appearance since his injury in December last year. The Chilwell substitution seems like a deliberate attempt by Tuchel to instill some good vibes in the Chelsea community by announcing that Chilwell is now fit to play.

Tuchel was superb in his team selection and substitutes. He used this game as an opportunity to hand out minutes to fringe players. Barkley, Kenedy, Sarr, and Saul were beneficiaries of this gesture. His substitutions were impactful, and he made a big call to start Havertz over Romelu Lukaku. A call that turned out to be a good one (hindsight is 20/20, I know)
Ratings: Sarr (5), Barkley (8.5), Chilwell (N/A), Tuchel (10)

Agree? How would you have rated the players? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter