1. N’GOLO KANTÉ (8.2)

Minutes: 90
Touches: 70
Passes: 45/53
Shots: 1*/1
Interceptions: 2
Clearances: 2

New season, new head coach, new tactics, new teammates, new position, new role ... same old N’Golo Kanté.

Actually, that’s not quite true. This is the glimpse of the new N’Golo Kanté. The new Kanté who runs forward at Jorginho’s urging against Lyon in midweek and almost scores a goal. The new Kanté who runs forward, now at no one’s explicit urging, against Huddersfield a few days later and finds himself on the end of a cross at the far post.

It’s not something that we’ve seen before, much like his awkward shot that still bounced into the goal. These will get better with practice.

New season, new head coach, new tactics, new teammates, new position, new role ... new N’Golo Kanté. Welcome to the evolution.

2. EDEN HAZARD (8.2, sub)

Minutes: 15
Touches: 32
Passes: 20*/23
Shots: 0/1
Take-ons: 5/7
Fouls drawn: 1

Fun-loving Eden Hazard sent on to have some fun against tired and demoralized legs is about as unfair as it gets.

And this was quite unfair. Sorry, not sorry, Huddersfield. Or should we say Sarri, not Sarri?

Hazard is still coming up to match fitness with barely a week of training under his belt, and he’s unlikely to repeat such a surgical performance when deployed (and kicked) from the start, but Sarri promised fun and we all know just how much fun Hazard can be.

3. JORGINHO (7.9)

Minutes: 90
Touches: 80
Passes: 62/66
Shots: 1*/1
Tackles: 3
Clearances: 5

Jorginho with Fàbregas and Barkley was ... okay.

Jorginho with Kanté and probably anybody else ... that’s more like it!

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vs. HUDDERSFIELD TOWN (A, PL, W 3-0)

EXCEPTIONAL (9.0+): —

EXCELLENT (8.0-8.9): Kanté (8.2), Hazard (8.2, sub)

GOOD (7.0-7.9): Jorginho (7.9), Rüdiger (7.7), Pedro (7.5), David Luiz (7.3), Alonso (7.3), Willian (7.3), Arrizabalaga (7.3), Azpilicueta (7.2),

AVERAGE (6.0-6.9): Barkley (6.7), Loftus-Cheek (6.3, sub), Morata (6.2), Moses (6.1, sub)

POOR (5.0-5.9): —

BAD (4.0-4.9): —

TERRIBLE (3.0-3.9): —

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vs. MANCHESTER CITY (N, CS, L 0-2)

EXCEPTIONAL (9.0+): —

EXCELLENT (8.0-8.9): —

GOOD (7.0-7.9): —

AVERAGE (6.0-6.9): Caballero (6.5), Hudson-Odoi (6.4),

POOR (5.0-5.9): Azpilicueta (5.4), Barkley (5.3), Jorginho (5.3), Rüdiger (5.3),

BAD (4.0-4.9): Abraham (4.9, sub), Pedro (4.9), Alonso (4.8), Willian (4.7, sub), Drinkwater (4.6, sub), Moses (4.5, sub), Fàbregas (4.3), David Luiz (4.2),

TERRIBLE (3.0-3.9): Morata (3.8)

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OVERALL:

Will be updated at a later point.

I also still need finish gather all the data for last season, so stay tuned for a brief rundown of that at some point.