Ranking Chelsea's Players on Champions League Performances so Far
Chelsea are still top of Champions League Group G despite picking up just eight points from a possible 12. Having drawn 1-1 with group minnows Maribor in Slovenia, Jose Mourinho told his players that they need to improve their attitude against teams that they expect to beat, per BBC Sport.
Although he refused to single out individuals for their performance in Slovenia, it is clear that some players just haven’t been pulling their weight so far. Click through to see which Chelsea player comes out top of the rankings based on Champions League performances this season.
Rankings have been compiled using statistics from WhoScored.com. Goals and assists naturally push players higher up the rankings, while those who have not made a significant contribution fall to the bottom.
21. Mohamed Salah
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Mohamed Salah has played a grand total of six minutes in the Champions League this season, and although he registered a shot on goal in that time, he is unlikely to get many more minutes with Andre Schurrle and Willian ahead of him in the pecking order.
20. John Obi Mikel
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John Obi Mikel has been marginalised by the exceptional partnership between Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas in midfield this season. He has only made one brief cameo in the Champions League so far, replacing Oscar for the last 20 minutes against Sporting Lisbon, and he is unlikely to see much more action if Matic and Fabregas stay fit.
19. Dominic Solanke
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Dominic Solanke was handed his Champions League debut for the last 20 minutes of the 6-0 win over Maribor. The 17-year-old striker had little to do, but the confidence shown by Mourinho to give him some game time should help his development at the club.
18. Ramires
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Ramires’ season has been hampered by an injury he picked up in the 1-1 draw with Manchester City and has only recently returned to training. He has had a limited impact in the 102 minutes he has played in the Champions League so far and will struggle to get into the starting XI while Mourinho persists with the 4-2-3-1 formation.
17. Andre Schurrle
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Schurrle is not having the best start to the season at Chelsea. He has been withdrawn early in both of the Champions League games he has featured in so far, coming off at half-time against Maribor. His return of three shots on target from five attempts is decent enough but does not mask the fact that he has struggled to integrate into the side so far.
16. Willian
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Willian has started three games and made a further substitute appearance so far this season. His performance in Slovenia was below par, so much so that he was replaced at half-time. He has still averaged 1.8 key passes per game with an overall accuracy of 90.8 percent.
15. Oscar
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Before the 2014-15 season, the majority of Oscar’s best performances for Chelsea had come in the Champions League. Now, as Mourinho tries to rotate his squad to avoid the No. 10 burning out as he did last year, Oscar has found his involvement limited to two starts and two substitute appearances, equalling just 213 minutes.
This lack of playing time has impacted his ranking as he has not been able to have the same influence on games as previous seasons have led us to expect.
14. Diego Costa
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Diego Costa’s record of nine goals in eight Premier League appearances has not been replicated in his Champions League form. Mourinho has used him sparingly in Europe so far, preferring to keep his star striker fit for the week-in, week-out competition of the league.
While he is yet to score in the competition after his goal against Maribor was incorrectly ruled offside, his average of 3.3 shots per game is second only to Eden Hazard. However, his exceptional league form has led to much higher expectations for the summer signing.
13. Gary Cahill
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Gary Cahill has been replaced by Kurt Zouma in the starting XI for the last two Champions League games, but the young Frenchman will have to go some way to reach his average of 7.5 clearances per game.
Mourinho’s attempt to balance his squad has seen Cahill rested more often than he might like, but his ability and experience should see him push his way up the rankings by the end of the group stage.
12. Filipe Luis
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Filipe Luis may have found chances in the Premier League hard to come by before Cesar Azpilicueta’s suspension, but he has taken the opportunity to impress in the Champions League. The left-back, signed from Atletico Madrid in the summer, has made five tackles per game on average and has completed 88 percent of his attempted passes.
However, the two yellow cards that he has picked up so far see him sitting outside the top 10.
11. Petr Cech
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Petr Cech sat out the first two games of the 2014-15 campaign as Mourinho looked to give the defence stability by sticking with Thibaut Courtois. However, the Belgian was left on the bench for the games against Maribor, and Cech has performed admirably in his absence, making four saves across the two games.
10. Thibaut Courtois
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Courtois had more to do against Schalke and Sporting Lisbon than Cech did in back-to-back games against Maribor. The Belgian shot-stopper made seven saves across the two games, keeping a clean sheet in Lisbon for the Blues’ first win of the campaign.
9. Branislav Ivanovic
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Branislav Ivanovic has won an average of 3.8 aerial duels in each of the four Champions League games he has played so far this season. The marauding right-back has also made 1.3 key passes per game as he continues to impose himself on Europe’s biggest stage.
8. Kurt Zouma
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Zouma has started two Champions League games for Chelsea this season, both against Maribor. He made a crucial clearance off the line in Slovenia and has a passing accuracy of 93.2 percent in the competition.
Mourinho has likened Zouma’s status in the squad to that of Raphael Varane at Real Madrid. The Special One gave Varane his debut in the Champions League, and the young centre-half has since gone from strength to strength. Chelsea fans will be hoping that Zouma follows the same path as his international team-mate, an expectation that is not unreasonable judging by his performances so far.
7. Nathan Ake
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Nathan Ake has been biding his time since making his debut for Chelsea against Norwich City on Boxing Day 2012. He has only made a handful of appearances for the club, yet he looks as confident and composed as some of the more senior players.
Although he has only played 34 minutes of this season’s Champions League campaign, his assist on Eden Hazard’s second goal in the 6-0 win over Maribor created the best goal of the night, and he should quickly rise above Mikel in the midfield rotation.
6. Loic Remy
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Loic Remy has only played 33 minutes of Champions League football for Chelsea this season, but he still managed to score the opening against Maribor. Although he injured himself in the process, Remy’s brief appearance showed that he is capable of stepping up in Europe’s elite competition.
5. Didier Drogba
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It was only fitting that Didier Drogba’s first goal since returning to Chelsea would come in the form of a penalty in the Champions League. The Ivorian is the club’s record scorer in Europe with 34 goals across his career, and his presence upfront remains intimidating despite his advancing years.
4. Cesc Fabregas
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Fabregas netted his first Champions League goal for Chelsea against Schalke with a beautiful free-kick at Stamford Bridge. As well as assisting two goals, the midfield maestro has averaged three key passes per game and has made the perfect partner for Matic.
3. John Terry
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John Terry is going from strength to strength this season, and his goal against Maribor at Stamford Bridge showed how much life he still has left in him. Having run the full length of the pitch to latch on to a Hazard pass, Terry scored with his feet for the first time this season. He has also registered two assists so far, as well as making an average of three clearances per game.
Terry’s presence on the pitch brings more than just footballing prowess, but the high level of performance that we have come to expect over the years keeps him in third place.
2. Eden Hazard
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Hazard is Chelsea’s joint-top scorer in the Champions League so far with two goals. Although he missed a penalty against Maribor, the fact that he has completed an average of eight dribbles per game more than makes up for it.
Hazard’s skills have caused all sorts of problems for the opposition, and he tore Maribor apart almost single-handedly in the match at Stamford Bridge. However, his role in the team’s complacency in some games has kept him off the top spot.
1. Nemanja Matic
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Matic was cup-tied for the second half of Chelsea’s Champions League campaign last season, having signed from Benfica in January. Now that he is eligible, he has taken the opportunity to show the Blues what they were missing, with two crucial goals and an assist so far. He also tops the charts when it comes to his defensive duties, completing six tackles every game on average.
While Hazard is off stealing the headlines, it is Matic’s quiet determination that deserves top spot in the rankings so far.
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