Maresca must eliminate Chelsea’s 4/10 flop who had 55% passes

Chelsea won 3-0 against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday lunchtime.

Enzo Maresca’s side produced a dominant second-half performance against a struggling Forest side to leave the City Ground with all three points.

The first 45 minutes passed without many notable moments, but it only took Chelsea four minutes in the second half to break the deadlock. Young central defender Josh Acheampong was the man who found the back of the net, rising highest to head in a cross from Pedro Neto.

The Portuguese winger got on the scoresheet to double the Blues’ lead. His effort came from a free-kick, with Chelsea skipper Reece James tracing it onto a path that Neto could run onto. He did just that and sent the ball through a crowded penalty area.

Chelsea’s third goal came from their captain, James. He marked his 200th match for his boyhood club with a softly struck opening 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 of work in the East Midlands for the Blues. In addition to Chelsea’s performance, a few of their players struggled. Alejandro Garnacho was one of them.

Garnacho vs. Forest stats

Life at Stamford Bridge hasn’t started off in the easiest way for Argentine winger Garnacho. He has yet to find the back of the net or get an assist. His performance against Forest was a continuation of a poor start in Blue.

The former Manchester United player has struggled to pose a threat on the left wing. Against Neco Williams, he didn’t really control the Welshman enough and his center certainly left something to be desired.

Garnacho’s stats from the match show just how disappointing the 21-year-old’s performance was. He only had 18 touches and completed seven passes, without even creating an opportunity. The winger also failed to save a shot.

Due to his poor performance, Garnacho was hung up at halftime. Chelsea’s number 49 certainly didn’t impress, with Goal journalist Matthew Judge rating him 4/10 for his efforts.

The journalist pointed out that he failed to enter the game for the entire duration of the match.

It was another below-par performance from Garnacho, who has yet to show his best in a Chelsea shirt. However, there was another member of Maresca’s team 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 match from the stands, could have been disappointed by some of his team’s performances in the opening 45 minutes.

This is why, for example, Garnacho was eliminated at the break.

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

Santos, originally from Rio de Janeiro, has excelled as a number eight at Chelsea, where he can move forward and create slightly deeper. Today he lacked that attacking sense and he had a golden opportunity in the first half.

The judge also seemed to think Santos had underperformed against Garibaldi Red’s men. He gave it the same rating as Garnacho, a 4/10. It was certainly a tough day at the office for the young midfielder.

The numbers suggest he was also even worse than his Argentine teammate.

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

It’s a performance Santos will want to put behind him quickly. He showed how good he was last season on loan at Strasbourg, with 12 goals and five assists in midfield. That’s the kind of performance he’ll be looking for next time.

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