1. EDEN HAZARD - AML | 6.9 |
Minutes played45
Touches49
Passes30/35
Shots1/1
Take-ons3/4
With only five goals in our last six matches - Hazard missing four and a half of those - it's clear that we're struggling a bit on offense. Whether that's more due to tactics or to personnel, or, most likely, to a bit of both is a question that will be answered only next season. For now, let's appreciate the fact that Eden Hazard plays for this club. This is now his twelfth man of the match award this season, or one more than Oscar(5), Willian(1), Schürrle(4), and Salah(1) combined.
A lot of the pre-match talk focused on his words against Mourinho's words in the media following the loss to Atlético Madrid, and many saw his place on the bench as some sort of punishment. But as we know, Hazard did not quite look fully fit on Wednesday. And with Mourinho looking to reward both Mohamed Salah and André Schürrle for their performances against Liverpool on Sunday, it's easy to see why the most likely winner of our player of the season started this potentially crucial (but probably not) match on the bench.
That we looked much better after his and David Luiz's half-time introductions is almost immaterial at this point, except to serve as a reminder that despite the constantly circling rumor sharks in the media, neither is likely to leave Stamford Bridge this summer.
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2. ASHLEY COLE - DL | 6.9 |
Minutes played90
Touches110
Passes69/71
Shots0/2
Take-ons3/5
Fouls suffered3
Clearances4/4
These player ratings most often serve more as a barometer of community sentiment rather than an objective evaluation of any specific player's performance. Individual performances in wins tend to get overrated. In losses, they tend to get underrated. Favoritism (and whatever the opposite of favoritism is) reigns supreme. This is not necessarily a problem - I tend to find it useful to see where the WAGNH readership (and not just the commenters) stand on various players - but it is something to keep in mind.
That being said, sometimes sentiment overlaps and correlates positively with performance. And in what could very well be his final ever home game at Stamford Bridge, Ashley Cole put in a very good performance on both sides of the ball, clearly motivated to make his final (home) appearance in a Chelsea shirt a memorable one.
It is Cole's first appearance on the community player ratings podium this season.
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3. GARY CAHILL - DC | 6.8 |
Minutes played90
Touches75
Passes64/65
Tackles2/2
Clearances4/4
When in doubt, vote Cahill third.
Even Cahill.
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OTHERS:
Schwarzer (6.6), Terry (6.6), Ivanovic (5.8), Matic (5.9), Lampard (5.1), Schürrle (6.6), Willian (5.7), Salah (5.0), Ba (4.7)
SUBS:
Hazard (6.9), David Luiz (6.5), Torres (5.2)