player ratings thus far

[sals]

So we are just about at the halfway point of the season so far and the picture is starting to take a more solid shape. We remain at the top of the table and we have had a lot of players performing as well as a few under performing. There has been debate on here in recent weeks about the likes of lamps, cech, mikel, deco etc etc and i was just wondering how people will rate our players with a mark out of ten for the season so far.

I will get the ball rolling:

1 Petr Cech (7)

Been widely criticised for a couple of high profile mistakes, does not change the fact that he has kept a large amount of clean sheets this year as well as helping Chelsea remain the stingiest team at conceding. The defence played a large part in this so going with a 7.

2 Branislav Ivanovic (8.5)

Bossy got a long term injury and branislav has happily taken his chance this season. Recent weeks been our best player and I would go as far as to call him our best defender of the season so far (might be harsh to ashley)

3 Ashley Cole (8)

An immense start to the season, form has dipped slightly since then but still playing very well, currently the worlds best left back

5 Michael Essien (8.5)

Absolutely immense this season, we missed him sorely last year and this new injury will not help us. The man is a monster. One of the most all rounded players in the world and his form before his injury was fantastic.

6 Ricardo Carvalho (6.5)

Had a couple of blinders against the big sides but has been very inconsistent. A quality defender no doubt but no longer the player he once was.

8 Frank Lampard (7.5)

Struggled with the new formation and has ben widely criticised. He still has gotten a lot of assists for this season and whilst his goal tally is down this season he has still played well. Was going to give him 7 but gets an extra half a mark for being frank lampard.

10 Joe Cole (7)

Came back from a long injury lay off with a bang but seemed to struggle with match fitness for a bit. Adjusted to life in the centre of the park well and the more games he gets under his belt the more his confidence should be increasing.

11 Didier Drogba (9.5)

Been absolutely spectacular. On current form without a doubt the worlds best striker. 18 goals in 21 games is good enough but then factor in his assists and his defensive work and the stats are unbelievable. Only problem is that he is so good that we are starting to rely on him a lot and it shows when he does not play.

12 Mikel (6.5)

Been in and out of the team, injuries have not helped his cause in establishing himself as a regular starter. Seems good on D but his passing has been very one dimensional.

13 Michael Ballack (7)

Great start to the season, dwindled since and recently (with a few exceptions) has played quite poorly. He does add structure to our team and whilst he hasn't been prolific at chelsea he is always a goal threat

15 Florent Malouda (7.5)

Had been previously written off, however his current form has carried on from the way he played at the end of the last season and he must be getting very frustrated not to have more starts

17 Jose Bosingwa (6.5)

Not too much to say after his injury. Played well at the start without doing anything special. Faces a battle to re claim the right back spot when he returns

18 Yury Zhirkov (6)

6 may be harsh as it is not his fault he has not had much of a chance. Very disappointed at how little of him we have seen, from the brief glimpses looks like he will have a lot to add to the team if he ever gets his chance

19 Paulo Ferreira (6.5)

Also had very little game time. Made a huge mistake in the carling cup, along with a poor game but then did come and score that equaliser at the death of injury time.

20 Deco (6)

had his chances, bar a few good performances he hasnt taken them

21 Salomon Kalou (6)

Scored some important goals, missed a host of glorious chances. Shows potential but fails to deliver, feel it may only be a matter of time before he finds himself lower in the pecking order to some of our young guns coming through.

22 Ross Turnbull (n/a)

23 Daniel Sturridge (6.5)

injuries have not helped him when his chances may have come along but has not done too much to get me too excited when he has played, here's hoping he can prove me wrong

24 Nemanja Matic (7)

Only a couple of matches to go off but in the wolves match he looked very good in possession and looks a decent prospect

26 John Terry (8.5)

Our D has been a rock for most of the season and that is once more down to captain fantastic, the commitment he gives to the team he loves is always on display and he has been playing fantastically.

33 Alex (7.5)

Only a couple of appearances but he has a very good defender as well as good coming forward. An absolute monster and looking to cement his place as a starter

35 Juliano Belletti (7)

The man for all occasions it appears, if we are defending a lead we stick belletti on, if we are chasing a goal we stick bellitti on. Hasn't had many starts but played well when called upon

39 Nicolas Anelka (9)

Settled well and is now once more one of the worlds finest strikers. Along with drogba they are the worlds most deadly strike duo. Got a big job coming up in january,

40 Henrique Hilario (7)

Not many games but played fantastically against the dippers

41 Sam Hutchinson (n/a)

43 Jeffery Bruma (7)

At 17 he has a long way to go in his development but has played well beyond his years when he has gotten his chances

44 Gael Kakuta (7.5)

A huge prospect for our club, has handled his situation very well and showed some great touches on the ball when he has played. Here's hoping he fulfills this obvious potential

45 Fabio Borini (7.5)

The young italian has been described as the next inzaghi and the way he intercepted the ball then rounded the keeper against pompey showed me why. At 18 this kid has a big future.

That is how i have rated the team so far, might have had my blue tinted glasses on for it, but its just everyone's opinion to how the players are performing as we near the halfway mark of the season

[sals]

Also here is a template of the squad

1 Petr Cech

2 Branislav Ivanovic

3 Ashley Cole

5 Michael Essien

6 Ricardo Carvalho

8 Frank Lampard

10 Joe Cole

11 Didier Drogba

12 Mikel

13 Michael Ballack

15 Florent Malouda

17 Jose Bosingwa

18 Yury Zhirkov

19 Paulo Ferreira

20 Deco

21 Salomon Kalou

22 Ross Turnbull

23 Daniel Sturridge

24 Nemanja Matic

26 John Terry

33 Alex

35 Juliano Belletti

39 Nicolas Anelka

40 Henrique Hilario

41 Sam Hutchinson

43 Jeffery Bruma

44 Gael Kakuta

45 Fabio Borini

[bjd]

Id say you've been generous with some of the scores, particularly with Cech and Lampard.

Whyhave you not scored Turnbull when he has played about as much as Matic and Sturridge ?

[PloKoon13]

I think you've been very harsh to Bosingwa. He's been among our better players this season. I think Ashley Cole deserves at least a 9 - he was far and away our best player until Drogba hit his unstoppable form.

[Cam]

Petr Cech 6.5 Usually solid, odd high profile mistake.

Branislav Ivanovic 9 Consistent and always improving in attack. Best defender this season.

Ashley Cole 8 Been very good in the diamond

Michael Essien 8 Always solid, occassionally brilliant. Key player.

Ricardo Carvalho 7 Has generally been good

Frank Lampard 7 Struggled to find his feet in the new system, but there are promising signs. His play possibly seems worse considering the immense expectations on him.

Joe Cole 6.5 Not yet into the flow after injury. His brilliance in display has only been fleeting. Look to an improved 2nd half of the season.

Didier Drogba 10 His influence and goal scoring exploits earn him a perfect mark in my book. Chelsea look half the team without him.

Mikel 7 Solid performer, prone to lapses in concentration in both first touch and defensively. However, he's had some good moments, such as when he freed Essien to run riot on the right.

Michael Ballack 7.5 Received some criticism, but I think he's been quite good.

Florent Malouda 8 Always looks lively when brought on, but for some reason isn't starting often. Should get more game time to give him a chance to prove his moments of brilliance can be consistently shown.

Jose Bosingwa 7 Injured long term, but was good before that.

Yury Zhirkov 7 Frustrated by injury, need more involvement in the second half of the season. Looked very solid when he played.

Paulo Ferreira 6 Not much to say here

Deco 6 Hasn't done enough with the consistent chances he's been given. Hopefully he won't be given the same oportunities, and continue providing nothing performances.

Salomon Kalou 6 Manages to get into soooooo many goal scoring positions, but fails to convert many. Playing as a striker, it's not good enough. If Anelka or Drogba were on the end of his chances, we could have another 5 goals (easily)

Ross Turnbull n/a Not played enough to make a judgement...

Daniel Sturridge 5 Has not done anything of note so far

Nemanja Matic 7.5 In his very limited time, he has been very good. Considering we can only judge on what they have done when given the chance, Matic scores well.

John Terry 8.5 Generally ver solid as usual...made a few mistakes which have cost us, but overall, the talisman is still crucial to Chelsea's defensive capabilities.

Alex 7 Very solid in his minimal performances

Juliano Belletti 6.5 Hasn't done a lot right...but hasn't done too much wrong. I fail to see how bringing him on instead of another striker or attacking mid when we're losing helps. Sure, he scores the odd belter, but the chances of that are fairly low.

Nicolas Anelka 9 Working tremendously with Drogba. Works hard on and off the ball, and is happy to creator and scorer.

Henrique Hilario 7 Good when called upon

Sam Hutchinson n/a Nothing to say

Jeffery Bruma 8 I've been very impressed with Bruma in his limited chances. Seems to thrive when he's put on.

Gael Kakuta 8 Always lively, always dangerous. Here's to hoping for some more opportunities.

Fabio Borini 7.5 Again, has looked dangerous when brought on. Should have scored when he rounded the keeper, but it still showed tremendous talent. Has good pace, and good touch.

[sals]

Id say you've been generous with some of the scores, particularly with Cech and Lampard.

Whyhave you not scored Turnbull when he has played about as much as Matic and Sturridge ?

As far as i can recall the only matches that turnbull played in were the champions league match against APEOL and carling cup matches, I didn't watch the CL match and the carling cup matches are not shown here. As for Cech he might not have been in the best of form but he is still part of the defence that had a ridiculously long run of clean sheets at home and has conceded the least in the league. Not to mention a number of very unlucky goals he could have done nothing to stop.

And i may have been a bit harsh on bossy now that i think about it.

As i said at the end i did these ratings with blue tinted glasses on

[Epic]

Pretty pleased with most of the team especially Anelka, Didier, Ashley Cole and Ivanovic. Terry had a great start but seems to have lost something in the last few games.

Kalou 5

Not good enough and never will be. Shocking that he is still at the club but then again we haven't had a manager stick around long enough to get rid of him.

Joe Cole 5

Has always been inconsistent. Has been begging to play behind strikers "in the hole" his whole career and has proven why he was never given the chance before. Doesn't have the skill or the intelligence to play in that position, better suited to the wings where he has time to look up and see what he wants to do.

Deco

Few good games (moments really but we'll call them games not to sound harsh) but is clearly past it. Cannot run anymore and is just coasting at the moment. Would have been perfect for us a few years ago but sadly, like Sheva, we seem to have got him when he has nothing to offer anymore.

[north stand]

Player Ratings: West Ham United 1-1 Chelsea From goal.com

Dec 20, 2009 5:55:04 PM

CHELSEA

Petr Cech - 6.5 - Made solid saves when called upon, and cleared the danger from corners and set plays. Could do little for the penalty - perhaps a bit more pre-match research on Diamanti's preferences could have paid dividends.

Ashley Cole - 6 - Misjudged challenge gave away penalty to the hosts. Found freedom on the left flanks in attack but never really made up for that first-half error.

John Terry - 6.5 - Solid performance, looked unaffected by a Sunday scoop about some dubious practices he has been involved in. Struggled to deal with Franco and Diamanti on occasions

Ricardo Carvalho - 6.5 - Looked out of sorts in the first half, making a number of niggly fouls - mostly on Franco - that eventually added up to a booking. The master of underhand off-the-ball challenges, but showed his class as the game wore on in breaking down West Ham attacks.

Branislav Ivanovic - 7 - Teams still seem to underestimate the Serbian's attacking ability, as he was given the freedom of Upton Park on occasions. Defensively was uncompromising, another good overall appearance.

Florent Malouda - 5.5 - Failed to get going in the first half, and wasn't given the chance in the second as Ancelotti replaced the Frenchman with Mikel to return to his more orthodox diamond formation

Michael Ballack - 6 - Asked to play in the holding role for his side today, where he passed the ball well but struggled with the defensive aspect of the role. A change at half-time freed him to play his usual game, with better results.

Frank Lampard - 7.5 - Showed admirable composure under pressure to score three times from the spot, after the referee ordered two re-takes. Another whose performance significantly improved in the second half.

Joe Cole - 6.5 - Looked much more incisive in the second half as Ancelotti changed things tactically. A good performance against his former club

Didier Drogba - 6 - A less than memorable afternoon for the Ivorian, who struggled to find any goal-scoring opportunities. Had one incredible effort from practically the corner flag that had Green scrambling, but otherwise was fairly quiet.

Salomon Kalou - 4.5 - Perhaps Ancelotti has finally lost patience with the Ivorian, who was withdrawn at half-time after another sub-standard performance. Nevertheless, he could have won a penalty in one of his brief moments of involvement.

Substitutes

Daniel Sturridge - 6.5 - Finally given a chance to shine, after a few months riddled with injuries and poor performances. Won the fortunate penalty that got the Blues back into the game

John Obi Mikel - 6.5 - His introduction returned Chelsea to a more familar formation, which paid dividends. Performance was hardly stellar but his presence was invaluable.

Yuri Zhirkov - 6.5 - Late introduction gave Blues a bit of width and thrust out on the left. Cut into the box on a couple of occasions, looked threatening.

[lampsgod89]

Petr Cech 6.5 Usually solid, odd high profile mistake.

Branislav Ivanovic 9 Consistent and always improving in attack. Best defender this season.

Ashley Cole 8 Been very good in the diamond

Michael Essien 8 Always solid, occassionally brilliant. Key player.

Ricardo Carvalho 7 Has generally been good

Frank Lampard 7 Struggled to find his feet in the new system, but there are promising signs. His play possibly seems worse considering the immense expectations on him.

Joe Cole 6.5 Not yet into the flow after injury. His brilliance in display has only been fleeting. Look to an improved 2nd half of the season.

Didier Drogba 10 His influence and goal scoring exploits earn him a perfect mark in my book. Chelsea look half the team without him.

Mikel 7 Solid performer, prone to lapses in concentration in both first touch and defensively. However, he's had some good moments, such as when he freed Essien to run riot on the right.

Michael Ballack 7.5 Received some criticism, but I think he's been quite good.

Florent Malouda 8 Always looks lively when brought on, but for some reason isn't starting often. Should get more game time to give him a chance to prove his moments of brilliance can be consistently shown.

Jose Bosingwa 7 Injured long term, but was good before that.

Yury Zhirkov 7 Frustrated by injury, need more involvement in the second half of the season. Looked very solid when he played.

Paulo Ferreira 6 Not much to say here

Deco 6 Hasn't done enough with the consistent chances he's been given. Hopefully he won't be given the same oportunities, and continue providing nothing performances.

Salomon Kalou 6 Manages to get into soooooo many goal scoring positions, but fails to convert many. Playing as a striker, it's not good enough. If Anelka or Drogba were on the end of his chances, we could have another 5 goals (easily)

Ross Turnbull n/a Not played enough to make a judgement...

Daniel Sturridge 5 Has not done anything of note so far

Nemanja Matic 7.5 In his very limited time, he has been very good. Considering we can only judge on what they have done when given the chance, Matic scores well.

John Terry 8.5 Generally ver solid as usual...made a few mistakes which have cost us, but overall, the talisman is still crucial to Chelsea's defensive capabilities.

Alex 7 Very solid in his minimal performances

Juliano Belletti 6.5 Hasn't done a lot right...but hasn't done too much wrong. I fail to see how bringing him on instead of another striker or attacking mid when we're losing helps. Sure, he scores the odd belter, but the chances of that are fairly low.

Nicolas Anelka 9 Working tremendously with Drogba. Works hard on and off the ball, and is happy to creator and scorer.

Henrique Hilario 7 Good when called upon

Sam Hutchinson n/a Nothing to say

Jeffery Bruma 8 I've been very impressed with Bruma in his limited chances. Seems to thrive when he's put on.

Gael Kakuta 8 Always lively, always dangerous. Here's to hoping for some more opportunities.

Fabio Borini 7.5 Again, has looked dangerous when brought on. Should have scored when he rounded the keeper, but it still showed tremendous talent. Has good pace, and good touch.

Hmm i mostly agree with you but i dont think ballack has deserved the same status as lamps. in my opinion ballack is rubbish and we would be better without him.

Ballack 6 not good enough for a former top player.

Essien 9,5 in my opinion the most importent player in our team. The tireless worker almost always does his job to perfection.