Chelsea’s best and worst players in disappointing Man City defeat
Posted By Joe E
August 20, 2024
7:28 am
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Chelsea’s 2024/25 campaign got off to a disappointing start as the Blues fell 2-0 to Manchester City on Sunday.
It was a clear improvement on the humiliating 4-2 loss to Pep Guardiola’s side in pre-season, but Chelsea still showed plenty of weaknesses in a performance which came shortly after the latest chapter of the circus rolled into town – Raheem Sterling’s omission from the squad.
Keeping the focus on on-field matters, here are Chelsea’s best and worst players from the game according to 90min‘s player ratings.
Romeo Lavia – 6/10
Lavia had a strong game / Julian Finney/GettyImages
On what was his first competitive start since joining from Southampton last summer, Romeo Lavia shook off his injury concerns with an admirable performance at the base of Chelsea’s midfield.
The young Belgian retained the momentum from a positive pre-season as he looked comfortable both on the ball and in the tackle against perhaps the stiffest competition English football has to offer. Plenty for fans to feel excited about.
Honourable mention
Moises Caicedo – 6/10
Caicedo was lively / Catherine Ivill – AMA/GettyImages
Keeping up with City’s midfield is not an easy task, and while he didn’t always come out on top, Moises Caicedo did enough to cause problems for the reigning champions.
Tasked with doing a lot of the dirty work, Caicedo gleefully charged around on the hunt for a tackle. There was a clear attempt to disrupt City’s momentum and Caicedo’s willingness to get physical made that possible.
Robert Sanchez – 3/10
A mixed bag from Sanchez / Catherine Ivill – AMA/GettyImages
Robert Sanchez’s athleticism makes him a great shot-stopper (at times) and he flashed those skills against City (at times), but his ability with his feet, which is supposed to be his selling point, left a lot to be desired.
Some wayward passes slowed Chelsea’s plans to play out from the back, while he also invited pressure with some poor decisions on the ball – something which cannot be allowed in a Maresca system. Filip Jorgensen is waiting in the wings and moved one step closer to a competitive debut here.
The latest instalment of ‘where is Fernandez’s best position?’ saw Maresca use his namesake as an attacking midfielder. It hasn’t worked in the past and, unsurprisingly, it didn’t work here.
Wearing the captain’s armband in place of the suspended Reece James, Fernandez looked better when he ended up dropping deeper, but the sight of Mateo Kovacic breezing past him for City’s second goal ensured there would be no redemption before the final whistle.
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