Chelsea went through to the knockout stage of the Champions League despite a disappointing display in Switzerland. Here’s how we rated the Blues players in their 1-0 defeat against Basel.
Petr Cech: 8
Had a busy night. Overworked and under pressure throughout. Made numerous stops, including one standout save to palm the ball over the bar when he was off balance. Almost saved the winner too.
Branislav Ivanovic: 6
Was decent enough for 87 minutes. Looked comfortable in defence and made several probing runs. But he was caught out for the goal with a simple long ball, which boss Jose Mourinho acknowledged with a ‘sleeping’ gesture.
John Terry : 6
A lack of mobility in wide areas can cause concern but he is normally smart enough to figure out a way to deal with any situation. Won his headers and used the ball well.
Gary Cahill: 7
Reliable performance alongside his skipper and was not far off getting back to cut off the winner.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 6
His pace got him out of trouble after some poor positioning on a couple of occasions. But he was otherwise steady as well as being tidy in possession.
John Mikel Obi: 6
Plays a crucial, if not always appreciated, role in front of the back four. Broke up play well but was also sloppy on occasions.
Frank Lampard: 6
Ineffective display despite plenty of effort, tracking back and plenty of forward runs. Seemed to have trouble staying on his feet at times and was bypassed by some astute play by the opposition. A frustrating night for Saturday’s star turn.
Ramires: 5
Like Lampard, the Brazilian struggled to retain his balance – notably when Willian played him in to a fine position in the second half. Was unable to influence the play and help Chelsea establish any sort of midfield dominance, but ran himself ragged.
Oscar: 5
Exceptionally quiet. Part of a midfield that never fired. And appeared less effective because as the main central attacking force, he needed to spark things off. Was closed down effectively.
Willian: 6
Pacy and energetic. It didn’t quite happen for him but he works hard and has obvious potential.
Samuel Eto’o: 6
Starved of service and barely involved as Chelsea were outplayed in the first half. And it got worse when he was taken off on a stretcher before half-time.
Fernando Torres: 6
Fared slightly better than Eto’o in a better team display after the break. But not a lot went right for the Spaniard in the final third despite his decent work-rate.
Eden Hazard: 6
Looked lively at times after coming on and linked up well with Torres.
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This post was last modified on 27/11/2013
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By the way i totally agree with your player ratings for Chelsea players against Basel... it is spot on!
Cesar shld hve started@ Right back.Branislav just could not cope with Salah just as it was in the first leg. Not paying Attention to Salah did us in.Besides Branislav have had one game too many already. Lampard, Oscar & Ramires shld hv bn substituted after 45mins as it was clear they were not in the game. Chelsea has a big squad Jose shld hv faith in all his players! We cant hv one good game&struggle@ d next, its unacceptable!