CHELSEA got their Champions League campaign off to a dreadful start and there were several dire performances in the 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb.
Thomas Tuchel handed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang his Chelsea debut but the striker failed to impress as he was crowded out by Zagreb’s backline.
But another player who started for the first time this season, Kepa Arrizabalaga, did impress and staked a claim for the no1 spot.
Ben Chilwell got forward well but Chelsea lacked creativity and did not make the most of their dominance of possession.
Worse still, Tuchel’s substitutions did little to change Chelsea’s fortunes as they were also wasteful in the final third.
Wesley Fofana was found wanting for Zagreb’s goal and Mason Mount’s poor form continued, leaving the Blues with plenty of work to do on the training ground.
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Here is how SunSport’s Kealan Hughes rated the Chelsea performance in Croatia.
Kepa Arrizabalaga – 7
Got down well to palm away a long-range shot from Zagreb captain Arijan Ademi not long after the Blues went 1-0 down.
But he made an even better save after the break, touching Stefan Ristovski’s rocket onto the bar to keep his side in it.
Reece James – 6
Did not put a foot wrong and played one magnificent low cross that a Chelsea forward should have pounced on for an easy tap in.
He was arguably Chelsea’s most dangerous threat late on and was unfortunate to see his rifled shot bounce back off the post.
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Cesar Azpilicueta – 6
A quiet game as he did not have much to do defensively.
Was brought off at half-time as Tuchel looked to make the most of Chelsea’s dominance on the ball by bringing on a more attack-minded player – Ziyech.
Wesley Fofana – 5
He was beaten too easily by Mislav Orsic for the goal as the striker sprinted past him on the break.
Unfortunately for the Nigerian that incident decided the match as he was otherwise solid.
Kalidou Koulibaly – 6
A comfortable evening for the centre-back as Zagreb did not offer much threat going forward.
Booked for a reckless lunge on Orsic that was completely unnecessary.
Ben Chilwell – 7
He was a real livewire for Chelsea in only his second start since returning from his ACL injury.
He constantly looked to get into the opponent’s penalty area like he did against West Ham and it almost resulted in an assist, but he was instead ruled offside.
Mateo Kovacic – 7
Was very influential in midfield as the Blues bossed possession and looked to find a killer ball to create chances for Sterling and Aubameyang.
Made one superb pass to find Chilwell in behind the defence in the build-up to Aubameyang’s disallowed goal.
Mason Mount – 4
Chelsea needed him to provide creativity or a moment of magic but once again the England star failed to produce.
Mount now has zero goals and assists in seven games this season – surely a worry for Tuchel.
Kai Havertz – 4
Some clever touches in and around the area and worked hard pressing Zagreb, but his goalscoring opportunities were few and far between.
Raheem Sterling – 5
Sloppy in possession at times and found it difficult to penetrate Zagreb’s low block.
But he never stopped trying and constantly provided an outlet with his clever movement, just lacked service from his team-mates.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 4
Chelsea’s new signing was in and out of the game and lacked match sharpness having played just eight minutes of competitive football this season.
Showed good poaching instinct to tap home Chilwell’s pass but the linesman had his flag up.
Subs
Hakim Ziyech (for Azpilicueta, 45 mins) – 5
Provided more energy on Chelsea’s right flank but did not cause enough problems for the opposition as he failed to pick out a cross and was frequently dispossessed.
Jorginho (for Kovacic, 59 mins) – 6
A usual Jorginho performance as he kept play ticking over but lacked the creativity needed to unlock Zagreb.
Armando Broja (for Aubameyang, 59 mins) – 4
He did not make the impact Tuchel was looking for as he was crowded out by Zagreb’s defenders, much like Aubameyang was.
Marco Cucurella (for Chilwell, 71 mins) – 5
Useful at sweeping up Zagreb counter-attacks but offered little in attack.
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Christian Pulisic (for Sterling, 75 mins) – 5
He is at his best when running at defenders with the ball but he did not get an opportunity to showcase that particular talent.
But he did hit a brilliant half volley that was well saved by Dominik Livaković with minutes remaining.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
