Chelsea put in another disappointing performance on Tuesday night after losing 2-1 to Atalanta in the Champions League.
Gianluca Scamacca cancelled out Joao Pedro’s opener for Chelsea before Charles De Ketelaere won the game for Atalanta.
De Ketelaere has questioned Chelsea’s defending for his goal, feeling that they gave him a lot of space.
Despite that and the Blues’ lacklustre display, Trevoh Chalobah was still impressed with one of his teammate’s performances.
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Atalanta's Nigerian forward #11 Ademola Lookman fights for the ball with Chelsea's English defender #34 Josh-Kofi Acheampong
Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP via Getty Images
Trevoh Chalobah praises Josh Acheampong after Atalanta loss
Josh Acheampong was making his first start for Chelsea since October, so you could have forgiven him for being a bit rusty.
However, the defender was quite solid on the night, which did not go unnoticed.
Speaking to Chelsea’s official club website after the game, Chalobah said: “Josh did really well. He hadn’t played for a while and he stepped in really well.”
A 12-year run snapped by Atalanta…
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Robert Sanchez also acknowledged Acheampong’s efforts, going up to the 19-year-old after a fantastic block he was able to make in the first half.
When Acheampong was playing earlier in the season, he was one of Chelsea’s best defenders. Right now, Chalobah is probably the Blues’ No.1 centre-back, so it would be good to see them line up alongside each other more often.
Trevoh Chalobah (L), of Chelsea, is challenged by Gianluca Scamacca (R), of Atalanta, during the League phase UEFA Champions League football match between Atalanta and Chelsea
Photo by Isabella Bonotto/Anadolu via Getty Images
Josh Acheampong’s total number of defensive actions
Acheampong had quite a busy night at the New Balance Arena. He made several blocks and interceptions, but the England Under-21 international could not prevent Chelsea from losing in the end.
In total, Acheampong made seven defensive actions. Benoit Badiashile and Moises Caicedo were the only Chelsea players who recorded more, according to Sofascore.
Josh Acheampong vs Atalanta Total
Minutes 90
Tackles (won) 1 (1)
Interceptions 3
Clearances 1
Blocked shots 2
Recoveries 2
Ground duels (won) 2 (2)
Aerial duels (won) 1 (1)
Based on that performance and his others this season, you can certainly say that Acheampong has been underused by Enzo Maresca.
The Chelsea academy product has not featured in any of his side’s previous six Premier League games, which is a shame.
At 19, Acheampong has already shown that he is a capable defender, but Maresca is clearly not ready to give him a starting role just yet.
Managers at other clubs probably are, though, so it will be interesting to see how much longer Acheampong remains satisfied with being on Chelsea’s bench.
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