I just love the way this guy can break the lines.  Only Kova, Mason and Kai seem to have this ability on the ball for Chelsea from midfield (Ziyech and Jorgi can pass thru).  Just a great game.  When Kovacic takes all that industry and combines with end product, well, what a world class player he is.  Absolute stand out performance today.

8 hours ago, Kova17 said:

He was really good for Croatia as well in there qualifying games. Did not score or assist but most of the goal scoring chances came through him. I think maybe hitting his prime years and we see the best of him now. 

Agree on all. Was also going to mention those two goals he scored for Croatia some time last year i think (can’t remember which match) as a clue.

16 hours ago, Dean said:

Agree on all. Was also going to mention those two goals he scored for Croatia some time last year i think (can’t remember which match) as a clue.

Was against Portugal 

Maybe this is the extra gear he has in his repository now, the killer pass and the odd goals by going forward. He improved in the last 6-12 months, no debate on that.

3 hours ago, icecoolguy22 said:

Maybe this is the extra gear he has in his repository now, the killer pass and the odd goals by going forward. He improved in the last 6-12 months, no debate on that.

Agreed .. if kova improves his end product he will be unplayable .. the close control and ability to break lines .. I think the closest I can think of would be Moussa Dembele for a few years at spurs .. but he didn’t have the pace that kova has.. 

He has grown into the chelsea team and become more confident. Him and Jorginho are a fantastic combo. He’s got a few mistakes in him, unlike Jorginho who very rarely makes an unforced error bit makes up for it with fantastic ball carrying. Kova on a burst  is one my fav chelsea things  to watch. 

Loved his performance against Villa.

He's becoming a great player for us and pivotal to our set up.

Another sensational display from Kovacic tonight, man of the match for me despite Lukaku’s goal. Against lesser teams his ability to drive us forward is immense and with Kante picking up a few more injuries this days it’s so good to be able to rely on him. 

Had a really good game albeit under the radar, I thought, especially second half, no doubt benefitting, like all the players, from the tactical switch that saw Kante come on. Put in quite the shift and a complete performance, showcasing the full range of his ability (not just the good runs / ball retention )   - there was that insane flick near the touchline while maintaining possession, some crunching tackles, a brilliant recovery to set up our second goal. That much of it went unnoticed seems to underline just what a great team performance it was second half. 

As much as the majority of the team is performing at an exceptional level right now, I think Kova deserves special praise. He has been outstanding for quite a few games now.

He struggled massively in the first half as Spurs mostly dominated the central midfield area. As did Jorginho. Debbie Alli and Hojberg  were a major thorn in our side and were winning nearly every physical challenge. Then TT realised his error he had made and brought the best CM in the world on at half-time and Kova and Jorginho suddenly looked like players.

World class player.  Still needs to improve the final pass, but he is one of those players I never worry when he is on the ball, and out of possession one of the first I look for to form the press.  He was player of the season a couple of years back for a reason, and we are seeing similar form this year.  

2 hours ago, just said:

He struggled massively in the first half as Spurs mostly dominated the central midfield area. As did Jorginho. Debbie Alli and Hojberg  were a major thorn in our side and were winning nearly every physical challenge. Then TT realised his error he had made and brought the best CM in the world on at half-time and Kova and Jorginho suddenly looked like players.

Come on. “struggled massively” is an exaggeration. The problem in the first half was as much to do with the formation as the personnel. But if we’re going to single out players as weak links, it should be Mount and Havertz, one of whom was indeed replaced. Kova been great for us this season, including today. Why not acknowledge it?

Quietly having a good season

3 hours ago, Dean said:

Come on. “struggled massively” is an exaggeration. The problem in the first half was as much to do with the formation as the personnel. But if we’re going to single out players as weak links, it should be Mount and Havertz, one of whom was indeed replaced. Kova been great for us this season, including today. Why not acknowledge it?

couldnt agree more.. i think mount got owned by hojberg today a couple of times .. wasnt strong enough in tackle.. Havertz by ndombele and that was the problem

Was surprised to see him named in Garth Crooks' team of the week. Not because he didn't deserve it, but because Garth Crooks' TOTW only seems to include whoever scored the most goals that gameweek.

Then again, he wrote two sentences on Kovacic then proceeded to rant for another paragraph about Harry Kane... 

We all wanted him to add more end product to his game and it seems he's unlocked that now. Two assists today take him to five for the season and he could even had a couple more assists today.

54 minutes ago, Sindre said:

We all wanted him to add more end product to his game and it seems he's unlocked that now. Two assists today take him to five for the season and he could even had a couple more assists today.

Could have had a good few even in the games where he didn’t play that well. In other words  he tends to produce something pretty much every time he plays. This criticism of no end product was invalidated a while back imo but it can take a long time for first impressions to fade.

He was amazing today. He is fast becoming one of my favourite players.

6 minutes ago, CaitlinCFC said:

He was amazing today. He is fast becoming one of my favourite players.

Yes, he was superb. Glad more Chelsea fans are appreciating what he brings to the team.

Now needs to add more end product. He had 3 assists today alone. Last season he only had 2 

Edited October 23, 20214 yr by Deino

This is apparently already his season-highest number of assists since moving to Inter in 2013. Good on him.

Brilliant brilliant player

We are witnessing Kovacic entering his prime. 27-29.

Hope he recovers soon. He's only just getting some assisting momentum too