Chelsea Stars Struggle Again: Player Ratings Expose Atalanta Woes as Blues' Problems Persist

Chelsea's streak without a victory across all tournaments reached four matches, as they suffered a 2–1 defeat to Atalanta on Tuesday evening.

The London side had been exceptional in their previous outing in this tournament, thoroughly dominating Barcelona in a commanding 3–0 victory, but on this occasion they appeared lacklustre and sluggish, despite João Pedro putting them ahead during the first half.

Atalanta are still adapting under new head coach Raffaele Palladino, but they demonstrated clear superiority following the break and fully deserved their triumph. Ex-West Ham United forward Gianluca Scamacca levelled for the home team before the brilliant Charles De Ketelaere secured victory for La Dea in the final stages.

The winners have now climbed to third position in the league phase standings, while Chelsea have dropped to 11th place, sitting behind Tottenham Hotspur.

Chelsea Player Ratings vs. Atalanta (4-2-3-1)

*Ratings courtesy of FotMob*

GK: Robert Sánchez—6.0: Chelsea's goalkeeper delivered several wayward clearances and risky passes into dangerous areas. He managed to get a strong hand to the decisive goal.

RB: Josh Acheampong—6.8: The young player appears to be a genuine talent, not just due to those two excellent defensive blocks in the opening period. He demonstrates remarkable composure for his age.

CB: Trevoh Chalobah—6.3: There were occasions when he should have closed down Scamacca more effectively, with his reluctance enabling Atalanta to find their striker regularly. Substituted at the break after receiving a yellow card.

CB: Benoît Badiashile—7.1: Perhaps could have contributed more in possession to penetrate Atalanta's defensive structure, but he effectively contained De Ketelaere during the early stages.

LB: Marc Cucurella—6.9: The accumulated playing time is beginning to affect Cucurella, who found it difficult against De Ketelaere after halftime and provided little attacking threat.

DM: Reece James—7.6: James certainly wasn't at fault for Chelsea's loss, though he came nearest to potentially sealing the match for the visitors early in the second period.

DM: Moisés Caicedo—7.0: Struggled to dominate his battle with Êderson in the middle of the park, and appeared somewhat off the pace following his two-game absence.

RM: Pedro Neto—6.0: Apart from one promising run after the interval, Neto failed to utilize his speed effectively against Atalanta's aggressive backline.

AM: Enzo Fernández—5.9: Atalanta's tight man-marking system makes it challenging for them to track delayed runs from deep positions, and there were opportunities for the Argentine to capitalize on this weakness more frequently. He appeared fatigued.

LM: Jamie Gittens—6.6: Contributed very little from the left flank, and even less when Maresca moved him to the right side.

ST: João Pedro—7.4: Finished his goal well, but Chelsea extracted little else from him during the match. Had a late opportunity denied by the keeper.

Subs not used: Filip Jörgensen (GK), Max Merrick (GK), Jorrel Hato, Andrey Santos, Marc Guiu, Tyrique George, Facundo Buonanotte, Estêvão.

Atalanta (3-4-2-1)

Starting XI: Marco Carnesecchi; Odilon Kossounou, Berat Djimsiti, Sead Kolašinac; Raoul Bellanova, Éderson, Marten De Roon, Lorenzo Bernasconi; Charles De Ketelaere, Ademola Lookman; Gianluca Scamacca.

Subs used: Davide Zappacosta, Honest Ahanor, Nikola Krstović, Yunus Musah, Mario Pašalić.

Player of the Match: Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta)

Chelsea Player of the Match: Reece James

Atalanta 2–1 Chelsea: How it Developed at the New Balance Arena

Chelsea approached the fixture following a frustrating week that saw them lose momentum in the championship pursuit. Enzo Maresca's rotation policy meant they couldn't match their displays against Barcelona and Arsenal at less prestigious Premier League venues.

Cole Palmer was missing from the starting lineup in Bergamo, as Maresca brought back Moisés Caicedo to his midfield. Young defender Josh Acheampong also received a rare opportunity to start, and Chelsea's right-back played a crucial part in preventing them from falling behind to Palladino's team.

Atalanta's wide play, overlapping runs and late arrivals from deep caused the Blues some early problems, and after they stopped Ademola Lookman from scoring within the first five minutes, Acheampong was perfectly positioned to block De Ketelaere's effort from close range. His intervention was certainly match-saving, and that incident appeared to shift momentum in Chelsea's direction.

The visiting team began to understand what the hosts were attempting in possession, and they started to establish control. A long pass down the flank resulted in a corner kick, from which Chelsea developed a set-piece routine that ultimately led to Reece James delivering a cross for João Pedro, who cleverly finished to put Maresca's side ahead.

The strike was initially disallowed by the assistant referee's flag, but video replays confirmed James was in an onside position, and Pedro's maiden Champions League goal was eventually awarded.

Atalanta offered little threat until the half-time break, though Chelsea also showed minimal signs of increasing their lead.

The dominance that the London club enjoyed toward the end of the first half evaporated after the restart, with a more open encounter developing. Reece James should have extended Chelsea's advantage early in the second half, and the Blues captain was punished by Scamacca, who had little option but to nod home De Ketelaere's excellent delivery.

The elegant Belgian began to dominate proceedings, with Palladino's team suddenly playing with much greater flow and tempo. It was pressure Chelsea managed to withstand, and the match soon entered a quieter phase.

However, the Blues lacked energy reserves, allowing Atalanta to mount another attack as the game approached its finale. De Ketelaere had channeled 2019–20 Josip Iličić during the second half, and it was appropriate that he would emerge as the decisive scorer. The Belgian benefited from some hesitant Chelsea defending, but his strike that beat Robert Sánchez at the near post was powerful.

Atalanta vs. Chelsea Half-Time Stats

Atalanta vs. Chelsea Full Time Stats