Chelsea: Full Report Card for Every Position for October

Chelsea continued their unbeaten start to the season throughout October, scoring 13 goals in the process. Despite suffering an injury crisis towards the end of the month, the Blues remain among the favourites to win every competition they are involved in this season, and Jose Mourinho managed to involve some fringe players in the side.

Click through for a full report card for every player who was involved for Chelsea in October.

Please note that the statistics and grades within this report card are for the month of October only. They do not include any involvement in the preceding months.

Grades are assigned based on impact and work rate, and they are adjusted based on the expectations from each player. Goals are weighted higher for defenders than attacking players, and players who have not made so much as a substitute appearance are not included in this report.

All Statistics are taken from WhoScored.com.

Goalkeepers

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Petr Cech

Appearances: 2+1

Clean Sheets: 2

Grade: A

Petr Cech replaced Courtois when the youngster was injured against Arsenal and completed the game, and a clean sheet. He returned to action in the Champions League against NK Maribor and kept another clean sheet, making three saves in the process. 

Cech started the Capital One Cup tie against Shrewsbury Town and was unable to keep a clean sheet, but Mourinho hailed the “fantastic example” set by the keeper, per the official Chelsea website.

Thibaut Courtois

Appearances: 3

Clean Sheets: 1

Grade: B+

Thibaut Courtois started October badly as he was knocked unconscious during the match against Arsenal. He was substituted in the first half but returned to action for the Blues after the international break, conceding a goal in each game against Crystal Palace and Manchester United.

He was WhoScored’s Man of the Match at Old Trafford, making six saves and four claims despite conceding the last-minute equaliser.

Central Defenders

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Gary Cahill

Appearances: 4

Goals Conceded/Scored: 3/0

Grade: B+

Gary Cahill sat out the 6-0 win over NK Maribor but started every other game in October. Detailed statistics are not available for the Capital One Cup tie against Shrewsbury, but in his three Premier League appearances Cahill made two tackles and won seven aerial duels.

He is still part of Mourinho’s first-choice centre-half pairing and is unlikely to be dislodged from that favoured position. However, the emergence of Kurt Zouma should keep him on his toes.

John Terry

Appearances: 4

Goals Conceded/Scored: 2/1

Grade: A+

John Terry made his 500th appearance as Chelsea captain when he led the side out against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

Despite conceding a goal in that game, and against United, Terry has fared better than his fellow centre-backs this month, largely due to his goal and assist against NK Maribor.

He has made two tackles and 20 clearances as well as contributing three key passes, and he looks set to continue his fine run of form throughout the traditionally tricky winter period.

Kurt Zouma

Appearances: 2+1

Goals Conceded/Scored: 2/0

Grade: B+

Kurt Zouma started his first game of the month against NK Maribor in the Champions League and made two clearances and had a shot on target. He was praised by Mourinho after the game, per the official Chelsea website, and the signs are good for his future at the club.

Although he knows that chances will be hard to come by, Zouma has shown maturity beyond his years in the way he has dealt with coming into the side for so-called lesser games.

Andreas Christensen

Appearances: 1

Goals Conceded/Scored: 1/0

Grade: C

Andreas Christensen played the full 90 minutes against Shrewsbury Town but was one of the players who failed to impress Mourinho. Although he could get a chance to play again in the quarter-final, Christensen could see his involvement in this season’s squad curtailed if he does not improve by January.

Full-Backs

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Branislav Ivanovic

Appearances: 4

Goals Conceded/Scored: 2/0

Grade: A-

Branislav Ivanovic’s involvement in October was brought to a premature end when he was sent off against Manchester United. Until that point, he had made 12 tackles and five interceptions throughout the month, as well as winning 20 aerial duels.

Cesar Azpilicueta

Appearances: 2

Goals Conceded/Scored: 1/0

Grade: C

A badly timed challenge against Crystal Palace earned Cesar Azpilicueta a straight red card and kept him out of the side for the rest of the month.

Although he would have been eligible to play against NK Maribor in the Champions League, Mourinho instead decided to start Filipe Luis to give the starting XI some continuity. The Brazilian has performed well in Azpilicueta’s absence, and he will have to fight hard to regain his place in the starting XI.

Filipe Luis

Appearances: 3+1

Goals Conceded/Scored: 2/0

Grade: A

Filipe Luis has had to be patient to get a run in the side at Chelsea, and it has paid off. He has taken advantage of Cesar Azpilicueta’s absence and made 11 tackles and two interceptions, making a strong case for regular inclusion in the side in November.

Central Midfielders

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Cesc Fabregas

Appearances: 4

Goals/Assists: 1/3

Grade: A+

Cesc Fabregas has looked unstoppable since signing for Chelsea in the summer. In October, he added another three assists to his account as well as scoring his first Premier League goal of the season against Crystal Palace.

His partnership with Nemanja Matic in midfield has been one of the key factors in the Blues’ dominance, as his average possession percentage of 7.65 testifies. He has also made nine key passes and completed 12 successful tackles.

Nemanja Matic

Appearances: 4

Goals/Assists: 0/0

Grade: A

Nemanja Matic has been one of Jose Mourinho’s untouchables this season, and when you look at his stats it is not difficult to see why. The Serbian has notched up 13 tackles and eight interceptions in October as well as bossing the midfield possession, having the ball for 6.075 percent of the game on average.

John Obi Mikel

Appearances: 1+2

Goals/Assists: 0/0

Grade: B

Mikel has struggled for minutes at Chelsea this season due to the dominance of the Fabregas-Matic pairing in midfield. Despite this, he has taken the opportunities when they have been afforded to him, and Mourinho praised his attitude after the Shrewsbury game.

Nathan Ake

Appearances: 1+1

Goals/Assists: 0/1

Grade: B+

Nathan Ake is one of the most promising youth prospects at Chelsea and is slowly establishing himself in the first-team squad rotation.

He played half an hour of the Champions League game against NK Maribor and was impressive, setting up Eden Hazard’s second goal and making two tackles. Expect to see more of Ake in November and December as the fixture list becomes more congested.

Attacking Midfielders

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Eden Hazard

Appearances: 4+1

Goals/Assists: 3/0

Grade: A+

Eden Hazard’s season got off to a slow start, but he has found his rhythm in the past month. As well as scoring three goals and earning a perfect-10 rating from WhoScored after his performance against NK Maribor, Hazard has completed 25 dribbles and won 16 fouls.

Oscar

Appearances: 5

Goals/Assists: 1/1

Grade: A-

Oscar came in for some criticism at the start of the season as the fatigue that comes with not having a proper summer break for three consecutive seasons took its toll.

However, he has risen to the challenge and is the only player to have started every game throughout October, making four key passes in the process.

Andre Schurrle

Appearances: 2+1

Goals/Assists: 0/0

Grade: C

Andre Schurrle’s involvement during October was limited by an illness picked up on international duty. He was poor against Arsenal at the start of the month and has been struggling to get back into the side ever since, with Willian preferred on the right of the attack.

Willian

Appearances: 3+2

Goals/Assists: 0/0

Grade: B+

Willian has worked his way into the first XI since the start of the season and has been in impressive form.

The Brazilian winger has completed five dribbles and was unlucky not to score against Maribor, but his improving form suggests that the goals will come sooner rather than later.

Mohamed Salah

Appearances: 1+1

Goals/Assists: 0/1

Grade: C+

Mohamed Salah is currently at the bottom of the attacking-midfield pecking order at Chelsea, and there are no signs of that changing soon.

He combined well with Schurrle to set up Didier Drogba’s goal against Shrewsbury Town but has otherwise failed to make the most of the limited opportunities that have been afforded to him.

Strikers

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Diego Costa

Appearances: 1

Goals/Assists: 1/0

Grade: C

Diego Costa had an excellent game against Arsenal at the start of October but has not featured since due to an injury picked up on international duty.

Loic Remy

Appearances: 2

Goals/Assists: 1/0

Grade: B

Loic Remy took advantage of Diego Costa’s absence and scored his second goal of the season against NK Maribor. However, he injured himself in the process and was unavailable for the last two games of the month.

Didier Drogba

Appearances: 2+2

Goals/Assists: 3/0

Grade: A

Didier Drogba scored his first goal since his return to Chelsea when he replaced Loic Remy in the Champions League game against NK Maribor.

With both Remy and Costa ruled out through injury, Drogba went on to score against both Manchester United and Shrewsbury Town, going some way to proving people who thought he would not have anything left to offer wrong.

Dominic Solanke

Appearances: 0+1

Goals/Assists: 0/0

Grade: C

Dominic Solanke made his Champions League debut for Chelsea when he replaced Oscar against NK Maribor. He had very little impact on the game itself, but his involvement bodes well for his future at the club.

All Statistics are taken from WhoScored.com.