Ranking Chelsea's 5 best players against Juventus in the UEFA Champions League

Modified Oct 02, 2021 14:14 GMT

Juventus v Chelsea FC: Group H - UEFA Champions League

Chelsea suffered yet another defeat, this time in the Champions League. The Blues lost 1-0 away at Juventus thanks to an early second-half goal from Federico Chiesa.

Thomas Tuchel's side registered just one shot on target as Juventus isolated Romelu Lukaku and starved him of any supply. The Belgian still managed to get close on two occasions, and only one of them was on target.

Thomas Tuchel was forced to make all five substitutions to try and change the game, but nothing worked. In his post-match interview, the German manager said:

"We wanted an impact. We had 5 subs and wanted to use them. We wanted to give fresh legs and new energy. No hangover from the weekend. We had two good sessions yesterday, looked fresh and hungry and ready to bounce back. It is very difficult to put on a high rhythm against a team that defends so deep.

"We could have been 1-0 up but this was the problem. Man City scored from a set piece with a deflected shot and sometimes this happens with a team that defends so deep. We can do better in the last 20 minutes, we were lacking runs and trying to find our rhythm. We could have been 1-0 up but this was the problem. We can do better in the last 20 minutes, we were lacking runs and trying to find our rhythm."

Here are Chelsea's top 5 players from the Juventus defeat:

#5 - Ross Barkley

Chelsea could not do anything special on the pitch today, and Thomas Tuchel threw Ross Barkley onto the pitch in a desperate attempt. The Englishman was put on the transfer list in the summer and had his jersey number reallocated but could not find a club that would match his demands.

The Blues midfielders were unable to create any solid chances for their attackers. They were so abysmal today in all aspects of the game that Ross Barkley's 15-minute cameo made him Chelsea's fifth-best player on the night.

#4 - Andreas Christensen

Andreas Christensen was the one taken off for Ross Barkley but the Danish star was not taken off for his performance but for tactical reasons. There was a change in system from Thomas Tuchel, and it was a surprise to see the academy product come off.

The centre-back played exceptionally well today and was able to get ahead on the pitch and send some passes into the final third as well but with no success.

#3 - Mateo Kovacic

Mateo Kovacic did not have a great game and was sloppy in the first half. He gave the ball away cheaply on multiple occasions and that resulted in Juventus growing into the game.

However, he pulled up his socks and did improve on his performance in the second half, but it was not enough to help Chelsea. The Croatian still managed to be the best player from the Blues' starting XI on the pitch and was the only midfielder to play the entire game.

Mateo Kovacic needs to get back to his best in Chelsea's game against Southampton. Or else Thomas Tuchel might have to deploy Ruben Loftus-Cheek in his place and try something new soon.

#2 - Callum Hudson-Odoi

Callum Hudson-Odoi was among the players subbed in by Thomas Tuchel to try and salvage something from the game. He was impressive with his forward runs and gave Matthijs de Ligt and Alex Sandro a tough time.

The winger tried to get the ball into the box on every single occasion but was unable to pull it off. The reason being that Juventus players marked Romelu Lukaku out of the game, and Kai Havertz was having a day off, once again.

One thing is certain, Callum Hudson-Odoi has made a case to start this weekend against Southampton ahead of Hakim Ziyech, who had a poor outing once again. The Moroccan's booking was unfortunate, but there was little to no impact from him while he was on the pitch.

#1 - Ruben Loftus-Cheek

Ruben Loftus-Cheek is out this season to make the most of his chances this season. For the third consecutive game, Thomas Tuchel turned to the Chelsea academy product, and he delivered.

Despite playing just over 30 minutes in the game, Ruben Loftus-Cheek was the best Chelsea player on the pitch. He showed exactly what Chelsea were missing for the first 60 minutes.

Thomas Tuchel now has a solid option to try in the upcoming games. And it would not be a surprise if Ruben Loftus-Cheek starts against Southampton this weekend in the Premier League.

Edited by Sankalp Srivastava