PLAYER RATINGS: Manchester City Beat Chelsea 2-0 In the Imitation Derby
Blues vs. Sky Blues. Past oil money vs. oil money. Bald manager vs a bald manager, who was his assistant. A Championship winner vs a six time Premier League Champions.
Chelsea is trying to copy Manchester City’s squad depth but going overboard by signing only 83 players. Manchester City copied Chelsea at the start and now Chelsea are the ones copying the Citizens but I guess imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Manchester City starts the season by beating Chelsea 2-0 in the imitation derby.
Let’s get into the ratings, then.
Player Ratings
Chelsea
Robert Sanchez ( 5.5 ): Haven’t done anything last season to get his starting position back but hey, he is good with his feet. He repaid Maresca’s faith by pulling some decent saves to keep the score closer than it should have been. Then he just allowed an easy Kovacic shot to go through his hands into the net, killing the game.
Malo Gusto ( 4 ): The guy who came to Chelsea as a back up found himself starting all games because Reece James could not leave the medical room. He looked like he was still on vacation, not adding anything to the attack. He also did not defend well and was tormented by Doku, who was not even close to his best. A performance to forget for Gusto.
Wesley Fofana ( 5 ): Finally starting a game after injuries hampered what was once a promising career. He started the game well but his performance got worse as the game went on.
Levi Colwill ( 4 ): Playing at centre back after Pochettino did his best to turn him into a left back. Instead of trying to make Colwill a left back, Poch should have gone on and bought one but guess this is why he got sacked. He did not stick to Boehly’s policy of buying every player alive. Anyway, back to the Colwill performance, it was the justification why Pochettino did not play him in centre back.
Marc Cucurella ( 5.5 ): Still singing after he won the Euros with Spain and it looks like Haaland has taken notice. Started the game well, containing Doku but had some troubles with Savinho. Overall, he was one of Chelsea’s best players, showing the type of performance.
Romeo Lavia ( 6.5 ): Finally starting for Chelsea, he showed why Chelsea missed him so much. A metronome in the midfield was well positioned for interceptions and did everything very well. Chelsea has a serious gem if he stays healthy. Solid 66 minutes from the Belgian. He looked levels above his teammates, who are all much more experienced than him.
Moises Caicedo ( 3 ): Was he even on the pitch? The only time I felt he was on the pitch was when he was committing fouls.
Enzo Fernandez ( 3 ): Captaining Chelsea after what happened in the summer is a strange choice for the club, but everything this club does is strange anyway. The less said about his performance, the better. He should have been playing in the Olympics because of how many times he dived.
Cole Palmer ( 5 ): Fresh off his new long-term contract that would keep him at Chelsea until only 2033, Palmer looked like someone who wondered why he was playing for the Blues, not the Sky Blues. After that, he grew into the game, created some half-decent opportunities for Chelsea and forced a good save from Ederson. He was not even close to his best and if he keeps playing like that all season, Chelsea are in for a long season.
Christopher Nkunku ( 4.5 ): Finally playing for Chelsea—did I write that too much in the article? Anyway, regarding the Frenchman’s performance, he did not impact the game at all. He still looks like someone who is getting used to the speed of English football.
Nicolas Jackson ( 4 ): The man, the myth, the legend. Nicolas Jackson. He brings chaos to the pitch and I am here for it. Linked up play well but was always standing offside. No one knows if this guy is a serious football player or not, but everyone loves him.
Subs
Pedro Neto ( 5 ): Subbed on at the 58th minute. He played long enough to get a rating but does not deserve any because his presence was not felt.
Kieran Drewsbury Hall ( 5 ): A Championship player to change the game against the four-time Premier League champions. As expected, he did not have any impact on the game but did not do anything bad.
Marc Guiu ( 5 ): A footballer in 2024 with short socks. Should he be taken seriously? He did not do anything to feel like he was in the game. A 19-year-old to change the game against City is an interesting choice. It expectedly backfired.
Renato Veiga (N/A): One of Chelsea’s 83 signings but at least their signings are playing now.
Manchester City
Ederson ( 4 ): After a summer filled with rumours he could be off to Saudi Arabia, he is staying. I don’t know why he would want to leave, as he is basically on vacation whenever City play games but guess some people like to get busy and have a big bag of money. The offside flag saved him from a horrendous mistake and he dropped an easy cross that he was lucky that Chelsea did not capitalise on. Only had an easy save from Jackson to make
Rico Lewis ( 8 ): One of our editors loves him so I have to give him a good rating; otherwise, I will not be writing on this website anymore. On a more serious note, he was good at inverting and building up play, dealt with Nkunku and Pedro Neto well and was an outlet in the attack. A solid performance from the young right back. The best player on the pitch today.
Manuel Akanji ( 6.5 ): The man who always does the job for City. No fuss, no nonsense, no transfer saga. Akanji proves every game why he is one of City’s best investments. A solid performance from the Swiss defender.
Ruben Dias ( 6.5 ): Fresh from his Euro 2024 disappointment with Portugal and partnering 41-year-old Pepe, the Portuguese centre back returns to City and shows why he is one of the best in business. It’s time to win some trophies on the club level. Dealt with whatever threat Chelsea created well.
Joško Gvardiol ( 6 ): Signed as a CB, now playing as a LB. No one really knows where he plays but I guess this is the thing with Pep’s teams. Solid performance from the Croatian, who contained Palmer most of the game.
Matteo Kovacic ( 8 ): Returning back to his old stomping grounds and putting in a serious shift in place of Rodri. Helped City get out of Chelsea pressure, was disciplined, read the game really well and did not feel like Rodri was missed all game. Scored the killer goal. It is difficult to choose between him and Rico as the best players on the pitch.
Kevin De Bruyne ( 5 ): He was not so good at the end of the last season, and was not so good at this game. He did not really impact the game the way we know he can.
Bernardo Silva ( 6.5 ): City’s joker and enforcer; isn’t everybody in City a joker, though? Was everywhere and created the goal with a daft touch for Haaland.
Savinho ( 7.5 ): The guy who added an -inho to his name to appear more Brazilian did not need to do that, as his performances showed he is Brazilian. Tormented Cucurella all game long and was at the heart of anything dangerous City created. Hooked at the 45th minute but what looked like an injury was an electric performance from the Brazilian.
Jeremy Doku ( 5 ): Another game and nobody can really know if Doku is a serious footballer or not. He struggled on the right against Cucurella and did not really impact the game much from the left, barring some take ons. He destroyed all of City’s counterattacks; other than his contribution to City’s first goal, this was a performance to forget from Doku.
Erling Haaland ( 7 ): Another season, same robot. One chance, one goal.
Subs
Phil Foden ( 5 ): Was he really on the pitch for 45 minutes?
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