*link to part 1.
After winning the Europa League and confirming our top four spot, it's only right that we sit down and analyse how well each of our players have performed and where we head from here into next season. In the following article, we will analyse and evaluate the general performance of each player in the first team squad at Chelsea FC and give them a rating out of 10.
In part 2, we review the season our midfielders and forwards have had.
Midfielders:
7. Ramires
The underrated man. Ramires has had another good season, quietly going about his business and always giving his all to the team even though the formation deployed by our managers didn't often suit him the best. Ramires is a shuttler, a true box to box midfielder, but was often deployed as our defensive midfielder or even out wide, which prohibited his strongest abilities somewhat. His best performances came when he played next to a true defensive midfielder (often Mikel) which freed him from his shackles and allowed him to give us the all action performances we've come to associate his performances with over his Stamford Bridge career.
Season Highlight:
His performances against Arsenal at home in the league, where he absolutely bossed the midfield, and Manchester United (FA Cup) were his standout performances in the 2012/13 season. Ramires once again proved that he is the big man for the big occasion.
Rating: 8/10
8. Frank Lampard
Mr. 203. Super Frank Lampard has fulfilled another season full of goals, amidst under a lot of speculation in regards to whether he'd stay on or not as his contract initially ran out this year. Regardless, Frank showed how much of true professional he is and rarely let the speculation affect his performances. Frank wasn't the Frank of old in the 2012/13, he had to slightly reinvent himself with the pivot being introduced and struggled somewhat, but the 35 year old was Chelsea's top scorer in the Premier League, grabbing 15 goals in 21 starts (29 overall) which is nothing less than what we're used to. He has single handily won a few games for us (Aston Villa and Everton spring to the mind) and Frank's performances secured him a new contract for another year where he will be reunited with the manager that brought the most out of him, Jose Mourinho. Another decent season from our Europa League lifting, Chelsea legend.
Season Highlight:
Scoring the most goals Chelsea FC's history.
Rating: 7.5/10
12. John Obi Mikel
It's been a mixed season for the Nigerian midfielder, who failed to build upon the stellar end he had in the 2011/12 season. Whilst he started off quite strongly, often being paired up with Ramires in the midfield 2 which some have said was Chelsea's strongest pair in the 2 in the 2012/13 season, his season seemingly went downhill after the dismissal of RDM. Due to injuries, the ACoN and somewhat falling out of favour with Rafa Benitez, Mikel found game time towards the end of the season quite sparse and the Nigerian faces a fight for his first team spot next season under Jose Mourinho, the manager that initially brought him in. Mikel did manage a few good performances in the 2012/13 season, reminding those that he does have the ability, but failed to do so consistently. John had the opportunity to really exert his importance to the side this season but failed to do so but it'll be very interesting to see what happens to him if he does stay on next season.
Season Highlight:
His performance after coming off the bench away against Manchester United - alongside Eden Hazard, provided the foundation and spark to turn a 2-0 loss into a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford, and this little piece of magic:
Rating: 6.5/10
6. Oriol Romeu
The forgotten man. A very short season from the young Spanish holding player, which was unfortunately ended after a long term injury. 7 starts and 2 substitutions aren't enough to fully judge his season, but Oriol performed at an okay level in most games he featured in. It's unfair to judge his season, so we won't put a number on how well he's performed. It'll be interesting to see how he fits into the squad next season.
Season Highlight:
N/A
Rating: N/A
11. Oscar
The gifted Brazilian has truly lit up Stamford Bridge with his huge potential this season. While he hasn't been as consistent throughout the whole season, Oscar has shown his humungous potential various times this season which have justified the hefty 25m CFC paid for him. Technically and tactically astute, matched with an uncanny work rate and doggedness, Oscar has all the right attributes to become one of the best in the middle of the pitch. Often being shunned out wide, Oscar's abilities have been somewhat prohibited, and many think that in order to maximise his potential, he must play through the middle - either as a number 10 or a number 6 (regista). What ever happens, what we do know is that Chelsea have an excellent talent on their hands. The club must make sure that they maximise his talent, as once again, Oscar has clearly shown in the 2012/13 season that he has bags of ability that will more than likely leave people to remember him as a great player when his career ends. A season of promise for the young Brazilian.
Season Highlight:
His sensational full debut against Juventus in the CL where he grabbed 2 goals and left us with the goal of the season:
Rating: 8/10
*NB: Oscar can also be considered a forward.
Forwards:
10. Juan Mata
The diminutive Spaniard confirmed to everyone in the 2012/13 that he is an elite player with the ability to change games through a moment of brilliance. Mata ended the season with 20 goals and 29 assists, a remarkable feat. His nomination for player of the year doesn't do him enough justice - he truly was consistently great throughout most of the season, showing off his excellent first touch, eye for a pass and his lethal finishing on numerous occasions. His understanding with Eden Hazard has been a great thing to watch throughout the season, and it is clear that he has matured and shouldered some responsibility in the 2012/13 season, often coming through with important goals or assists when the team have been in need. Rightly voted as Chelsea's player of the season for the second year running, Chelsea have truly got a world class player on their hand here and Juan is clearly a Chelsea legend in the making. Stellar season from the little magician.
Season Highlight:
Fantastic man of the match performance against Spurs away, grabbing 2 goals and an assist, which confirmed that he is one of the Premier League's superstars.
Rating: 10/10
17. Eden Hazard
The £32m Belgian wizard arrived at Stamford Bridge with huge expectations on his shoulders. Storming the league in the first few games, Hazard looked worth every penny as Chelsea ascended to a 4 point lead at the top of the Premiership table. After a quiet few months, Eden ended the year fully reminding everyone of his world class ability, often finishing games as Chelsea's best player. The scariest thing is that Eden is still only 22 and still managed to be one of the best players in the Premiership - his inclusion in the team of the year attests to that. It's frightening to think that Eden achieved that in his first year in the Premiership and now he's settled in and under Jose Mourinho... Sky's the limit for the Belgian magician who finished with 13 goals and 19 assists this season - again, an outstanding achievement.
Season Highlight:
Many highlights from Eden, clearly showing off his world class ability:
Rating: 9.5/10
13. Victor Moses
A £9m signing, Victor has more or less delivered what was expected from him at Chelsea. Bought as a squad player, Moses hasn't disappointed but overall in the end, failed to flatter at the same time. Before he left for the ACoN, Moses was in stellar form overall, providing direct play on the wings - something Chelsea was lacking at the time; sometimes even coming up with winning goals (e.g. his winning goal in the dying embers against Shakhtar in the Champions League). After returning from the ACoN, Moses' performances took a dip in general, but his Europa League form was one of the main reasons Chelsea got to finals. All in all, a pretty shrewd signing and a decent season from the young man, who will be looking to grow as a player in the upcoming season.
Season Highlight:
His immense performance against Rubin, restoring our lead with this goal:
Rating: 7/10
21. Marko Marin
Signed for £6.5m, Marko was a relatively low risk signing, especially given his previous hype, and impressed a lot during pre-season. The former German international unfortunately got injured which hampered his introduction into the Chelsea XI and after a few sub standard sub appearances, Marko's future at the club doesn't look promising. Marko failed to produce enough in the few minutes and appearances he was given and whether Chelsea keep Marko and give him another chance remains to be seen.
Season Highlight:
Unfortunately, his performances in preseason.
Rating: 5/10
30. Yossi Benayoun
Returning from his loan from West Ham, Benayoun only made a handful of appearances for Chelsea, usually off the bench. Out of contract at the end of the 2012/13 season, Benayoun's career at Chelsea will not be remembered fondly.
Season Highlight:
N/A
Rating: N/A
9. Fernando Torres
The £50m man was given reassurances at the start of the 2012/13 season that he'd be the main striker after Chelsea let Didier Drogba go without replacement. Fernando started off the season well, grabbing a good goal against Manchester City in Chelsea's Community Shield loss. Fernando also started well in the Premiership, scoring 5 goals in 11 appearances before massively disappointing - only scoring once in 12 games. Benitez was appointed and Torres' form hit a new lease of life, grabbing 7 in 9 before again hitting bad form, scoring only 3 goals in 19 appearances. Fernando ended the season in decent form, grabbing a few vital goals in the Europa League final and against Everton, but still left a lot to be desired considering he was meant to be Chelsea's number one striker. Fernando managed to score 22 goals but considering how many appearances he took to accomplish that (64) he has once again left Chelsea with the predicament that he isn't good enough to be the number striker at the club.
Season Highlight:
His goal against Benfica in the Europa League final, where it is arguable that he was our best player on the pitch:
His sublime goal versus Newcastle:
Rating: 7/10
29. Demba Ba
Arriving at £7.5m in the January transfer window, Demba Ba arrived at Chelsea when the club were in dire need of a goal scorer. On his debut, Ba managed to alleviate concerns, grabbing 2 goals in an impressive display against Southampton and fully looking the part. Ba was instantly liked by the Chelsea faithful because of his good link up play and finishing which was refreshing to see, but performances slightly dipped as the season progressed. Demba finished the season with 6 goals in 22 appearances, and albeit those included sublime goals against top opposition in Manchester City and Manchester United, ultimately, that isn't good enough for a striker of his quality. Demba will be looking to improve on those numbers next season, where hopefully with a full preseason under his belt he'll be able to perform more consistently.
Season Highlight:
Versus United:
Versus City:
Rating: 6.5/10
Disclaimer: Please do remember that these are my own views and opinions on how the players have performed and do not necessarily by anyway reflect the general consensus of the Talk Chelsea forums.
Click here to view the article
