Maresca must axe 4/10 Chelsea flop who had 55% passing

Chelsea ran out dominant 3-0 winners against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday lunchtime.

Enzo Maresca’s side put in a dominant second-half performance against a flailing Forest outfit to leave the City Ground with all three points.

The first 45 minutes went by without too many notable moments, but it took Chelsea just four minutes into the second half to break the deadlock. Young centre-back Josh Acheampong was the man who found the back of the net, rising highest to head a Pedro Neto cross home.

The Portuguese winger got himself on the scoresheet to double the Blues’ lead. His effort came from a set-piece, with Chelsea skipper Reece James rolling it into a path for Neto to run on to. He did just that and smashed the ball home through a packed penalty area.

Chelsea’s third came through their captain, James. He marked his 200th game for his boyhood club with a sweetly-struck first-time volley.

He latched onto a loose ball from a Chelsea corner and fired home to cap off a wonderful team effort.

It was certainly a good afternoon’s work in the East Midlands for the Blues. As well as Chelsea performed, however, a few of their players did struggle. Alejandro Garnacho was one of those.

Garnacho’s stats vs. Forest

Life at Stamford Bridge has not started in the easiest fashion for Argentine winger Garnacho. He is still yet to find the back of the net or grab an assist. His showing against Forest was a continuation of a poor start in Blue.

The former Manchester United player struggled to pose much of a threat down the left wing. Coming directly up against Neco Williams, he didn’t really drive at the Welshman enough, and his crossing certainly left a lot to be desired.

Garnacho’s stats from the game show just how much of a disappointing performance it was from the 21-year-old. He had just 18 touches and completed seven passes, without even creating a chance. The winger also failed to register a shot.

As a result of his poor showing, Garnacho was hooked off at half-time. The Chelsea number 49 certainly didn’t impress, with Goal journalist Matthew Judge giving him a 4/10 for his efforts.

The journalist noted that he was ‘unable to get into the game’ throughout.

It was another below-par performance from Garnacho, who has not yet managed to show his best in a Chelsea shirt. However, there was another of Maresca’s side today who was arguably worse.

The Chelsea player who was worse than Garnacho

Maresca, who was banned from the touchline and had to watch the game from the stands, might have been disappointed with some of the showings from his side in the first 45 minutes.

That is why, for example, Garnacho was taken off at the break.

Another talented youngster who only completed the first half of the game was Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos. Operating higher up the pitch today, the 21-year-old looked a little at sea and didn’t have the creative influence he may have wanted.

Santos, who hails from Rio de Janeiro, has excelled as a number eight for Chelsea, where he can drive forward and create from slightly deeper. Today, that attacking nous was missing, and he put a golden chance wide in the first half.

Judge also seemed to think that Santos underperformed against the men in Garibaldi Red. He gave him the same rating as Garnacho, a 4/10. It was certainly a tough day at the office for the young midfielder.

The numbers suggest that he was even worse than his Argentine teammate, too.

For example, Santos had a passing accuracy of just 55% and failed to complete a dirbble.

This is a performance that Santos will want to put behind him quickly. He showed just how good he is last season on loan at Strasbourg, with 12 goals and five assists from midfield. Those are the sorts of performances he’ll be looking for next time out.

It will be fascinating to see if Maresca selects him from the start in the Blues’ next game, a Champions League clash with Ajax at Stamford Bridge.