Chelsea continental loan roundup for March 7, 2014

It was a good two weeks for a few of Chelsea's loanees spread around the continent, but quite a few others were dealing with injuries or time on the bench. The Vitesse foursome didn't see as much action as usual over the past two fixtures, with Patrick van Aanholt suspended and Lucas Piazon looking fatigued. Christian Atsu was a key part of a pair of impressive wins though, grabbing a goal and an assist in two starts.

Piazon went unused in the 3-1 victory over Waalwijk, while Bertrand Traore started on the right wing and played 45 minutes. Both started the match against Roda JC on the bench, with Piazon coming on for about 30 minutes, while Traore played the final ten.

Elsewhere in the Netherlands, Stipe Perica was out of action for the past two weeks as well. Like Van Aanholt, Perica was dealing with a suspension that had him out of action for both matches since our last roundup. Cristian Cuevas managed a pair of starts, however, and seems to be shaking off some of the rust the accumulated at Vitesse.

Thibaut Courtois had some big moments two weeks, with the Belgian putting in impressive showings against both AC Milan and Real Madrid. Unfortunately, those contests sandwiched a stinker against Osasuna, in which the entire Atletico squad looking like a steaming pile of garbage.

Marko Marin isn't injured anymore, but Sevilla seems to have found some more reliable options in their attack. Sevilla had four matches since our last roundup, but Marin had to settle for a single start (in which he played just 49 minutes) and a 16 minute cameo. Both appearances came in the Europa League, while Marin did not feature in either La Liga contest.

Oriol Romeu is currently in London rehabbing from his most recent knee surgery. He's expected to miss upwards of 6 weeks following the procedure, though it wouldn't surprise me at all to learn that he's out of action for the remainder of the season. Neither Jhon Pirez or Ulises Davila saw action over the past two weeks either, with Pirez being left out of both matchday squads entirely.

The loan to Lazio isn't looking any more promising for Gael Kakuta than his last four, as the Frenchman was unused in three of the club's four contests over the past two weeks. He looked ok in his one appearance from the bench, an opportunity Wallace probably wishes he'd be afforded. As usual, the Brazilian did not play.

Kurt Zouma's work was limited to just a pair of brief cameos over the past week, in two huge victories for St. Etienne that saw them climb to within a point of Lille. The player doesn't seem to be dealing with injury at this point, so it's unclear why the move was made.

Mario Pasalic had a pair of solid starts for Hajduk Split over the past two weeks, and is showing that he's clearly ready for a bigger challenge next season. Thorgan Hazard also made a pair of starts since we last caught up with him. He provided an assist in each of those contests, and was the best player on the pitch during the 2-2 draw with Waasland-Beveren.

Billy Clifford saw no action over the past two weeks. He was an unused sub against Virton, and was on the bench against Sint-Truidense when the match was abandoned due to fan behavior.

Matej Delac returned to action after a long winter break, but probably wishes that his vacation had lasted an extra week.