• April 20, 2022
• Olaoluwa Nwobodo

Chelsea, for whatever reason, always finds a way to struggle against Arsenal in the dumbest of circumstances. Granted, Tuchel tried to rest players as Chelsea also played a game not up to three days ago. Chelsea fought hard for a loss, and eventually got what they wanted, but how did the players fare individually?

Goalkeeper: Mendy is thrown under the bus

Edouard Mendy had a few miskicks but nothing that was worth criticizing. He was put in an impossible situation by Andreas Christensen for the first goal. The second goal was an irritating one to concede because it was due to an accumulation of silly errors. The third and fourth goals were purely on the defense. Mendy made no saves, which was poor considering he conceded four goals.

Defenders: Nonexistent backline

Christensen made several errors in very compromising positions against Arsenal. His passing was off, and he seemed discombobulated at times. Malang Sarr wasn’t horrendous but he wasn’t good either, he had very good ball control though. Cesar Azpilicueta scored to equalize the game to make it 2-2 after making a very intelligent run to the front of an Arsenal centerback to slot home a very good Mason Mount cross. Azpilicueta, though, also made a stupid foul to gift Arsenal a penalty when Chelsea was already losing and chasing a goal.

Midfielders: Nonexistent midfield

Marcos Alonso and Reece James were OK. Alonso was definitely the more active one because Chelsea kept playing through his side of the pitch. He lost many battles against Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, which is not a surprise.

N’Golo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek were good in the center of the park, but not good enough to control the game in the first half. They were mainly putting out fires, well Kante was. In the second half, the whole midfield was run over.

Forwards: Fatigue plays a key role

Timo Werner was Chelsea’s most effective forward, though he didn’t get much service. Romelu Lukaku showed a lot of commitment to work off the ball. Mason Mount delivered a superb cross that Azpilicueta finished. The decision-making of the front line left a lot to be desired. Mount and Werner were tired, so their performance was somewhat understandable.

Substitutes: Useless at best

Thiago Silva coming on at halftime was perhaps the most predictable or at least, the least-surprising halftime substitution. Silva came on to help Chelsea get some semblance of control in their play, and it worked. Chelsea played out from the back with more finesse and composure. Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyech were useless.

Thomas Tuchel got everything wrong today. Everything. Team selection, substitutions, and timing of substitutions.

Ratings:
Mendy: 2
Azpilicueta: 2
Christensen: 1
Sarr: 4
James: 3
Loftus-Cheek: 2
Kante: 3
Alonso: 3
Mount: 3
Werner: 4
Lukaku: 3

Silva: 2
Havertz: 2
Ziyech: N/A

Tuchel: 0