Argentinian Chelsea goalkeeper Willy Caballero (L) saves at the foot of Polish striker Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski (R) during the UEFA Champions League knockout round of 16 in the round of 16 between Chelsea and Bayern Munich on February 25, 2020 at Stamford Bridge in London. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP) (Photo by BEN STANSALL / AFP via Getty Images)
Chelsea had a difficult start against Leicester City, but the blow-dryer treatment and key substitutes saw Frank Lampard’s members across the line.
Brendan Rodgers has never beaten Chelsea in his coaching career, so you’d expect his team to be very willing to face his former club. And they were cheered; The foxes came out flying and were unlucky enough not to score in the first ten minutes. Chelsea survived the storm and after the first water break they woke up and started playing with Leicester. What did the rest of the squad accomplish when substitute Ross Barkley eventually overtook them with a goal?
Willy Caballero (Keeper): 7
Willy Caballero did what Willy Caballero did: he did the job shakily. It seems that Caballero never does anything with confidence or assertiveness, but mostly he gets the result. Caballero made some good parades, but passport and clearances are always nerve-wracking to watch him handle.
Reece James and Cesar Azpilicueta (right back): 8
These two were combined because they played half each and both were decent. James didn’t do anything bad that justified jumping half off for Azpilicueta. He has taken possession of himself unnecessarily a couple of times, but that’s normal. Azpilicueta came and did exactly what the Spaniard did; He offered stability and confidence in the position he was playing.
Antonio Rüdiger (central defender): 8
The German, like his partner Kurt Zouma, was strong early on. He had a wild challenge that could have ended badly and some faulty passes that he would like to have back (it is not advisable to flip the ball against a Leicester City team that likes to counter). But overall a really good physical game from Rüdiger to disrupt Leicester City’s attack all season.
Kurt Zouma (center-back): 7
Zouma was strong and stable throughout the game and didn’t get too high or low, which is a nice change from the many performances the blues central defenders have shown this season. The Frenchman was particularly strong in the air and hit some long balls on the field. Both central defenders had to play a large part wisely in the first half due to the lack of presence of the midfield.
Emerson (left back): 6
I’m not sure how he managed to stay on the pitch for so long. He has won a couple of duels and some restorations, but there was nothing special that was produced or exhibited by left-backs who may be on the way out. In this case, he did not please Chelsea’s resale value. He may have pace, but everyone who debated whether to start with Marcos Alonso was clear today, giving more Alonso.
