Raheem Sterling grabbed his first goal for Chelsea as they beat Udinese 3-1 in Italy. The Blues pre-season has been somewhat disappointing, but getting a win before the season starts will be a boost. The score line could have been even better for Chelsea, with multiple chances spurred.
Player Ratings:
Edouard Mendy- 5/10
Mendy will be disappointed to not come away from the game with a clean sheet to his name. He was rarely tested throughout the game but was poor when he parried out a tame shot by Pereyra that went straight into the path of Deulofeu who tapped the ball into the net.
César Azpilicueta- 6/10
Chelsea’s club captain continues to be linked with Barcelona this summer, and at this stage it is still not clear whether he will start the next season at Stamford Bridge. Tonight, however, he produced a solid performance without being massively tested.
Thiago Silva- 7/10
The veteran looks to be getting back into the kind of form he showed last season. Dictating play from the back and never looking uncomfortable defensively. If he has another season like last, Chelsea’s defence is in good hands.
Kalidou Koulibaly- 7/10
Chelse’s new centre back delivered a performance that was a positive sign of things to come. The Senegalese man who moved to the Blues this summer from Napoli looked composed on the ball and made some classy tackles to expertly win back possession.
Reece James- 6/10
A rare quiet evening for Chelsea’s right back. The Englishman who so often is involved in attack struggled to have an impact. The few times he had the ball in the opposition half his crosses failed to find an attacker. He was solid defensively, however.
Marcos Alonso- 4/10
Whether Alonso will be starting next season at the club is still a mystery, with Barcelona again being linked with a Chelsea defender. Tonight, however, he was so wasteful with the ball going forward, consistently putting aimless crosses into the box
Jorginho- 6/10
The best and worst of Jorginho was on display tonight. He made some pinpoint passes to start dangerous attacks and break defensive lines, even assisting Sterling’s first goal for the club. Defensively he looked shaky and was bypassed far too easily on occasion.
N’Golo Kante- 7/10
Kante seems to have one or two long range goals in him a season, but let’s hope he hasn’t just wasted that on a pre-season friendly. It was a stunning strike from outside the box to give Chelsea the lead. The Frenchman looked lively, making good tackles and driving forward with the ball.
Mason Mount- 8/10
Mount continues to get better and better. The young Englishman won the ball high up the pitch on more than one occasion and could have had a few assists. Capped off a good performance with a late goal to seal the game for Chelsea.
Kai Havertz- 6/10
Something of a mixed-bag performance for the German tonight. Havertz looked sharp with his movement and linked well with Mount and Sterling in attack. His finishing, however, left a lot to be desired with multiple big chances spurred.
Raheem Sterling- 8/10
Chelsea’s new attacking signing grabbed his first goal for the club (with a bizarre deflection off his knee). It was an exciting performance for Chelsea fans. Sterling showed signs of already linking well with Mount and Havertz in attack and provides a direct threat to goal that the Blues side has been crying out for. He will be a bit disappointed to only have one goal to his name tonight with some good goalkeeping and the woodwork denying him.
Chelsea subs :
Callum Hudson-Odoi- 7/10
He didn’t have long to make an impact on the game, being introduced after 70 minutes. He did, however, do well to get down the by-line and provide a good cross for Mount to grab Chelsea’s third goal.
Emerson Palmieri- 6/10
Another late sub, the Italian was solid defensively. Interestingly he played as one of the back three rather than at wing-back, which could be a sign of Thomas Tuchel trying something new with a defender who has struggled to cement a place in the Chelsea squad.
Harvey Vale- 6/10
Good to see Tuchel giving the young man a chance to show what he can bring to the side. Vale didn’t shy away from getting involved in the game but struggled to make much of an impact in his cameo.
Kenedy- N/A
Billy Gilmour- N/A
Thomas Tuchel- 7/10 :
Tuchel will be pleased to get back to winning ways on a pre-season that has had a lot of downsides. The squad that started tonight is unlikely to change before the beginning of the Premier League season, but they are certainly starting to look like a more cohesive unit. Work is still needed on outgoing transfers, and Tuchel will want a few more incomings before the transfer window closes.
Twitter- @Kieranroy1
