It wasn't the most thrilling spectacle to take in for the scattered array of Chelsea supporters watching on, but the Blues did start their Club World Cup campaign with a relatively straightforward 2-0 victory over LAFC on Monday evening.
Enzo Maresca named a very strong lineup for the clash with Steve Cherundolo's challengers, and, for the most part, it was a smooth match for the likes of Cole Palmer - who was donning the no.10 for the first time - and Moises Caicedo, among many other strong first-team personnel.
Pedro-Neto
There would have been some worries in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium that the game could peter out into a dire clash with no goals scored within the first 30 minutes. Thankfully, Pedro Neto managed to raise the excitement levels when he broke the deadlock in the 34th minute.
The game was then tied up in the second half by Enzo Fernandez popping up with a goal of his own, but away from the goalscorers stealing the limelight, there were several top performers on the night, alongside others putting in slightly more subdued displays.
Chelsea's best performers vs LAFC
The most logical place to start is with Neto's standout showing, with his blistering solo run and tricky feet resulting in the ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers winger getting Chelsea's account underway in the competition.
Enzo-Maresca
Away from this sublime effort beating former Spurs captain, Hugo Lloris, Neto also fired another shot off the woodwork, with his constant livewire presence clear for all to see even more when completing a hefty five successful dribbles.
Neto wasn't the only bright spark from Chelsea's perspective, however, with Fernandez also sticking out in the second half when winning two duels alongside his goal. Involved in that second strike was debutant Liam Delap, who scampered down the right and delivered an inch-perfect cross for the Argentine to bury.
Starring alongside Fernandez was the ever-reliable Moises Caicedo.
He was also persistently involved in play when notching up 101 touches, but not every blue shirt trudged off at the end delighted with their efforts.
Chelsea-2
Chelsea's worst performers against LAFC
Romeo Lavia struggled to get going before Maresca hooked him off at the half-time interval, yet there was one underperformer throughout that will be worried for his Club World Cup starting spot now and his future as a regular starter at Stamford Bridge after offering very little in the Atlanta heat.
It's clear from the rampant transfer rumours coming out of West London that Chelsea are in the market for a new left winger figure, with Jamie Gittens one of the main targets being lined up to replace the recently departed Jadon Sancho.
After the 2-0 win over LAFC, it's even more abundantly clear that the Blues need urgent reinforcements down the left flank, with Noni Madueke having a torrid time of things when chucked out to this unfamiliar position on the pitch.
A large portion of Chelsea supporters took to social media to voice their frustrations at Madueke's dire showing, with the 23-year-old largely ineffective throughout when powering just one paltry on-target effort at Lloris' goal.
Moreover, Neto's eye-catching trickery on the ball down the right just didn't rub off on the out-of-sorts number 11 on the left, culminating in just one unmemorable successful dribble being registered.
Madueke's performance in numbers
Minutes played
Goals scored
Assists
Touches
Accurate passes
Shots
Possession lost
Total duels won
Stats by Sofascore
On top of those already grim statistics, Madueke also gave away possession ten times, alongside only winning a disappointing 42% of his duels.
Therefore, going forward, Maresca must not continue playing Madueke down the left, with a low 5/10 match rating handed to him by Football.London's Bobby Vincent after the match adding insult to injury.
Noni-Madueke
Tyrique George is the only other option the former Leicester City boss can rely upon on the left channel, with Chelsea needing to act fast now to add someone like Gittens to their squad.
If this were in a far more pressurised contest, Madueke could have ended up costing his side dear.
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