Chelsea travelled to the Hawthorns to face West Brom, who were on a 2-game winning streak prior to the clash. Chelsea on the other were going through a patchy form, suffering one defeat and managing two draws in their last three games.
The curse of November strikes again as the Blues struggle to get together a decent string of results. Considering the money they put into this team in the summers, it’s a surprise that they have underperformed lately.
Then again, Chelsea have been notorious for success and mediocrity. The Blues struggled all night against an impressive and resilient West Brom side who had taken the lead through a Shane Long header. Chelsea managed to equalize through http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Eden-Hazard-c11863, but
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Peter-Odemwingie-c29794 gave the home side the lead again as West Brom went on to grab the three points.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786 showed signs of improvement towards the end, but in the end they paid for being so average on the day and defensively frail.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Petr-Cech-c29837 – 6
The goalkeeper cannot be blamed for both goals, which largely came because of the ineffectiveness of the Chelsea backline. Cech was still far from convincing though, and had trouble dealing with West Brom's crosses.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/David-Luiz-c10542 – 4
Luiz struggled all night to deal with Long’s pace, strength and directness. The Brazilian centre-half is clearly not a very good defensive player, and ventured forward far too many times, leaving gaping holes at the back.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Gary-Cahill-c14439 – 5
Cahill was the more composed of the two Chelsea centre-halves, but not by long. He did fairly better in dealing with Long than Luiz, but was outmuscled on occasions. He looked better after half-time, but still looked far from comfortable in the face of West
Brom’s attacks.
Cesar Azpilicueta – 7
The former Marseille man had a good game, and played well at both ends of the pitch. He ventured forward with intent and purpose and assisted Hazard’s goal for Chelsea’s equalizer.
Ryan Bertrand – 4
The left-back had a poor game, and was weak in his passing and distribution. He attacked better than he defended and failed to close down the West Brom players from crossing into the box.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Oriol-c28659 Romeu – 4
The former http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Barcelona-c38604 man had a dismal game. He struggled to impose himself in midfield was merely a passenger for most of the game. He failed to break up play or carry the ball forward. He was taken off for Oscar in the second half.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/John-Obi-Mikel-c18882 – 6
The Nigerian started the game well, and got in some decent tackles. He however eventually faded away for long periods and found it hard coping with West Brom’s effective passing in the centre of the pitch. Mulumbu and Yacob made it a hard night for Mikel.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Victor-Moses-c36075 – 5
The former Wigan man lacked confidence, and looked reluctant and unsure when he had the ball. He failed to be direct and lost the ball a couple of times. He really has not made a case to be in the starting 11 for Chelsea, and Mata and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Oscar-c28720 continue to better
options for Chelsea at the moment.
Eden Hazard – 6
The Belgian scored Chelsea’s equalizer, but was quiet throughout the game. He failed to have an impact, and has so far failed to replicate the form that saw him become a highly coveted player during his playing days in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/France-c2899.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Fernando-Torres-c13707 – 4
The Spaniard was once again poor, and joins the list of players that have failed to continue their careers at Chelsea. He reminds us of Shevchenko and Quaresma, who had been highly coveted players before they moved to Stamford Bridge. Torres hardly had a
say in the game, and was invisible for most parts.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Daniel-Sturridge-c10076 – 5
Sturridge was the livelier of the two strikers, but again showed his lack of composure in front of goal. He had a golden opportunity to equalize for the Blues, but shot the ball right at the goalkeeper.
Oscar – 5
The Brazilian was brought on in the second half, and had a more positive impact on the game. However, he was still unable to break West Brom down.
Juan Mata – 5
Mata was brought on for the final 25 minutes, but was uncharacteristically quiet. He tried to create chances, but found it hard to see an opening in a rock solid West Brom backline.
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