Chelsea: Full Report Card for Every Position for January
As we enter February, Chelsea are looking strong.
January may have started in the worst possible way for the Blues, being humbled 5-3 by London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, but as the month progressed, they restored their position as the Premier League's outright leaders.
Indeed, that defeat to Spurs on New Year's Day meant it was just alphabetical order separating Chelsea and Manchester City at the top of the table.
Four weeks on, Jose Mourinho's side are five points clear.
They are also in the Capital One Cup final with a chance of avenging that defeat to Spurs at Wembley on March 1.
All in all, it was a positive month for Mourinho and his men—despite that shock defeat to Bradford City in the FA Cup reminding us this team is far from invincible.
Now that January is over, Bleacher Report looks back at the best performers in every position.
Goalkeepers
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Thibaut Courtois: B-
With cup games and injury to contend with, we didn't see Thibaut Courtois as often as we thought we might in January.
The Belgium stopper made just four appearances for Chelsea, missing half his team's games.
When he did play, he looked like the Courtois we know so well—dominant in his area—and against Liverpool in the Capital One Cup semi-final, he made some outstanding saves.
One mark against his name will be his failure to deal with Jesus Navas' cross against Manchester City. He flapped at it, which allowed Sergio Aguero to shoot at an open goal before David Silva turned his effort in.
That game finished 1-1 as a result of that, and a goalkeeper of Courtois' ability should have done much better.
"Chelsea all over the place at the back. What was Courtois thinking? Shocking attempt to punch clear the cross. 1-1, 2 mins of stoppage time.
— Garry Hayes (@garryhayes) January 31, 2015"
Petr Cech: B
January was the month when Petr Cech enjoyed his most productive spell of the season for Chelsea.
He played in half of his team's matches and was excellent in all of them—even the 4-2 loss against Bradford City, in which he pulled off a world-class save in the first-half to prevent the League 1 side taking the lead.
Outside of that Bradford game, Cech kept clean sheets in his other Chelsea appearances.
"What a save by Cech just now! “Best goalkeeper ever!” shouts the chap sat next to me… #CFC
— Garry Hayes (@garryhayes) January 24, 2015"
Defenders
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Cesar Azpilicueta: B
Another Chelsea player to have missed half of January due to injury, Cesar Azpilicueta was still his usual reliable self when he did feature for Chelsea.
We're well into 2014/15 and the Spaniard continues to keep Filipe Luis out of the team, which is a measure of the quality he brings to Chelsea.
Filipe Luis: B
Filling in for Cesar Azpilicueta during his injury absence, Filipe Luis is beginning to challenge his team-mate for a starting place more and more.
He was one of Chelsea's better performers when he did play and put in two excellent displays against Liverpool in the Capital One Cup semi-final.
Chelsea were a solid defensive unit in both those games and Luis more than played his part.
He picked up an injury in the second leg, which is a shame, as he is now forced to watch Azpilicueta return to action in his place.
Branislav Ivanovic: C
He may have scored the goal that sent Chelsea to Wembley in the Capital One Cup, but Branislav Ivanovic didn't enjoy the best month when it came to defensive contributions.
Against Tottenham Hotspur, he was guilty of some slack marking that allowed Spurs to pull away from Chelsea and also led to Gary Cahill being isolated at times.
More recently against Manchester City, Ivanovic gave away possession in some dangerous areas too, resulting in City having efforts at goal.
For a player of his ilk, we expect more.
John Terry: B
Age still shows no sign of catching up with the Chelsea captain, who remains a rock at the back.
John Terry started six of Chelsea's eight games in January, and it's no coincidence they were the team's best performances—the 5-3 thrashing at the hands of Spurs aside.
He was excellent in both Capital One Cup games against Liverpool and was the main reason why the Reds couldn't get through a stubborn Chelsea rearguard.
Terry is still Chelsea's No. 1 defender.
Gary Cahill: D
Since early December, Gary Cahill's form has dipped dramatically.
So much so that Jose Mourinho has recently left him out of his team in favour of starting Kurt Zouma.
After three years at the club, it's been his worst spell, but he certainly has the quality to turn things around.
He's an excellent defender, which is why his dip in form has been so noticeable, with Cahill making mistakes not overly associated with him.
Hopefully it's just a blip in what has been an otherwise excellent Chelsea career to date.
Kurt Zouma: A
Kurt Zouma has taken the bull by the horns recently, with January becoming the month he truly arrived as a Chelsea player.
The French youngster put in some excellent displays for the Blues, notably keeping Manchester City's Sergio Aguero quiet for the time he was on the pitch.
Indeed, it's testament to Zouma's performance that day that Manuel Pellegrini eventually subbed Aguero off, even though City were going for the win at Stamford Bridge.
January was an excellent month for Zouma.
Andreas Christensen: C
Young Dane Andreas Christensen only featured once for Chelsea in January, playing at right-back in the 4-2 loss to Bradford City.
Normally played centrally, he didn't let himself down, and despite the more senior players around him failing to show up, Christensen put in a solid display regardless of the result.
Midfielders
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Nemanja Matic: B
The Serbian remains the defensive rock of the Chelsea midfield. He covers so much ground and does an excellent job in protecting the defence.
There are games when he may well get overrun, as he was against Tottenham Hotspur, but on the whole, Nemanja Matic comes out on top.
His display against Manchester City was a fine example of what he gives Chelsea, producing the goods in a backs-to-the-wall performance that secured a vital point.
January ended on something of a damp note for Cesc Fabregas, as he limped out of Chelsea's Capital One Cup semi-final second leg with Liverpool.
Whenever he doesn't play, the hole in Chelsea's midfield is clear. They lack dynamism and struggle to get the ball forward in the same way they do when Fabregas is present.
It's been an excellent debut campaign for him at Stamford Bridge, and despite being rested at stages, January was another good month for the midfielder.
Ramires: C
We haven't seen much of Ramires this season because of injury and due to Cesc Fabregas' arrival.
He featured twice in the FA Cup in January, but his best performance came against Manchester City in the Premier League, when he filled in for the injured Fabregas.
Ramires outlined his ability to get stuck in and didn't shy away from the midfield scrap in that game. That said, he lacks the craft of Fabregas and Chelsea suffered as a result.
It was one positive display in three, and the Brazilian needs to do so much more to show he can reach the levels he has previously.
John Obi Mikel: B
For all the criticism that comes John Obi Mikel's way, it was actually a productive January for the Nigerian.
He isn't a player of the class of Nemanja Matic, but if he could play like he did against Liverpool in the first leg of Chelsea's Capital One Cup semi-final more often, he would receive far more opportunities
He was defensively solid that night, disciplined and hardly put a foot wrong.
Indeed, when he went off injured against Bradford City in the FA Cup, it was then when Chelsea seemed to lose control of the game.
Was January the month he saved his Chelsea career?
Eden Hazard: A
What a player Eden Hazard has become. He's phenomenal, and for everything positive Chelsea did in January, the Belgian was involved somewhere.
He even had an excellent game against Spurs and at one stage looked like he was going to single-handedly drag Chelsea back into it.
He missed just two games in January—both FA Cup outings—and has started every Premier League fixture this season, a stat only matched by John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic.
Oscar: C
Oscar is a frustrating player. He has the ability, no question, but the Brazilian lets himself down so often with his poor decision-making.
Throughout January, it was a case of him picking the wrong pass or, as we saw against Liverpool, going for glory when others were better positioned.
He needs to be more direct, like he was against Swansea City, when he scored twice in a thrilling 5-0 win for Chelsea.
Mohamed Salah: F
We saw Mohamed Salah just once in January—the 4-2 defeat against Bradford City.
Much like the rest of his Chelsea career, he was poor in that game too.
He seemed like an exciting prospect when he joined from Basel this time last season, but he just hasn't hit it off at Chelsea, and his future at Stamford Bridge doesn't look good.
Andre Schurrle: D
Where has the Andre Schurrle from the World Cup gone?
The German has been missing in action since October, and it seems his Chelsea career has been ended by his failure to recapture his form after illness and injury.
Schurrle is a vastly talented player, but Chelsea have been carrying him whenever he has featured since his good start to the campaign.
He featured just twice in January; he was hooked at half-time after a dismal performance against Watford in the FA Cup, and he came off the bench to score in the 5-0 win against Swansea City.
Willian: B
The man to benefit most from Andre Schurrle's struggles has certainly been Willian.
The Brazilian is now a regular for Chelsea, and his work rate has made him a key part of Jose Mourinho's teams.
He works incredibly hard, pressing opponents all over the pitch.
He just needs to add goals to his game to become the perfect midfielder. If he can do that, he'll go far with Chelsea.
Strikers
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Diego Costa: C
A phenomenal striker, Diego Costa's reputation is not serving him or Chelsea well right now.
He scored four goals in January, but he receives such a low grade here for allowing himself to become embroiled in the controversy that has led to him receiving a three-game ban.
Costa missed the Manchester City clash at the end of January and we won't see him now until the first-leg of the Champions League tie with Paris Saint-Germain on February 17.
There's an argument to say he has been treated unfairly by the FA, but Costa has played his part in everything that has passed, and now Chelsea must live without him for another two matches.
Other than receiving his ban, it was another excellent month for the Spain international in front of goal.
Didier Drogba: D
The more the season develops, the more we are seeing the end of Didier Drogba's career draw closer.
He has served Chelsea well this season, but January wasn't his best month in a blue shirt.
Drogba started both FA Cup games and came off the bench against Liverpool and Manchester City to help Chelsea see out those games.
Almost 37, that's what his career is now.
Loic Remy: C
Starting against Manchester City in late January, we saw Loic Remy put in his best performance for Chelsea.
He scored to put Chelsea in front and was involved in some good combinations at times.
Remy does lack that presence of Diego Costa, though.
In his other appearances in January, he looked like a player suffering from a lack of game time.
With Costa suspended for the next two Premier League outings, we may well see the best of him, though.
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes
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