Chelsea quartet form spine of Premier League XI who f***ed it in the FA Cup

Ian Watson
Chelsea attacker Kai Havertz reacts after Manchester City score in their FA Cup tie.

Perhaps the surprise is that there are only four Chelsea players in the XI of Prem players who cocked up in the cup. The keepers had a shocker of a weekend…

Here’s the worst XI of Premier League players from the FA Cup third-round, using those WhoScored algorithms.

 

GK: Vicente Guaita – 5.28
It was a grim weekend for Premier League keepers in the cup. David De Gea (5.87)  seemed a shoo-in for the No.1 spot after he glued his left hand to the goalpost in protest against God knows what, and Alisson (5.36) reverted to the early 2021 version of himself in the draw with Wolves. All in all, nine Prem stoppers rated below six, with Palace’s Guiata the lowest scorer after making a terrible mess for both Saints goals.

 

RB: Neco Williams – 5.36
Surprisingly, since they were humped 4-1 by a side in the Championship relegation zone, Williams is the only Forest outfield starter to earn a sub-six score. Which is a consequence of three of Blackpool’s goals coming down his right flank, with the Wales defender caught out for the first and third in particular.

 

CB: Marcos Senesi – 5.11
Bournemouth also shipped four to a Championship side, with all of the Cherries’ back five scoring less than six. Senesi was the worst of the lot, gifting Burnley their opener with a sloppy turnover before being replaced at half-time with the hosts 3-1 down.

 

CB: Kalidou Koulibaly – 5.11
Only three of Chelsea’s XI cracked six…just. Lewis Hall, Mason Mount (both 6.05) and Conor Gallagher (6.10) were the best of a God-awful lot, with Koulibaly the worst. The veteran was expected to guide 19-year-old partner Bashir Humphreys through his debut but Koulibaly was wretched, giving a penalty away while offering the impression of being absolutely knackered from the off.

 

LB: Jordan Zemura – 5.40
Like Senesi, Zemura was hooked at half-time after his recent form struggles continued against the Clarets. In 45 minutes, he lost possession 10 times while managing not a tackle, clearance, block or interception. Zemura lost all three of his duels and failed to find a team-mate with any of his long passes or crosses.

 

CM: Lewis Cook – 5.35
Also like Senesi, Cook was culpable for one of Burnley’s first-half goals. The first three of the game’s six goals were all the result of f***ing up while trying to pass out from the back, with Cook giving Burnley their second before failing to track Anass Zaroury as he commenced his dribble through the Bournemouth defence.

 

CM: Mateo Kovacic – 5.68
One of two players replaced by Graham Potter at half-time at Manchester City with Chelsea 3-0 down, Kovacic was hopelessly anonymous for 45 minutes against the champions as Chelsea exited the FA Cup at the third-round stage for the first time in a quarter of a century. His midfield mates were little better. Jorginho was a waste of a shirt, never mind an armband, while Gallagher ran around a lot with little real idea where he should be going.

 

RW: Hakim Ziyech – 5.85
Ziyech’s post-World Cup hangover continued at the Etihad, where he played an hour while offering Chelsea nothing of note. No shots, key passes, crosses or even a successful dribble. A problem for Potter, but certainly not his biggest.

 

LW: Crysencio Summerville – 5.80
The Leeds winger showed the odd flicker early on but faded once Cardiff got their noses in front. Replaced by Rodrigo on the hour after failing to even attempt a dribble or complete a cross.

 

CF: Kai Havertz – 5.47
Havertz is probably more of a worry. Frank LeBeouf certainly seems to think so: “I don’t know what Kai Havertz is doing, he’ll be on record for scoring in the Champions League final, but what else?” Jorginho copped it worse and even Mount wasn’t spared. At City, Havertz gave away a daft penalty at one end, while refusing to run in behind at the other.

 

CF: Yoane Wissa – 5.85
The Brentford forward lost possession more times (12) than he passed the ball to a team-mate (10) in the defeat to West Ham on Saturday evening. Wissa engaged in 14 duels, losing a dozen of them.

Johnny Nic: Add the FA Cup to the long list of VAR victims as inequality is rife and consistency absent

F365 Features Kai Havertz