Chelsea, days after the departure of Enzo Maresca, managed to pick up a 1-1 draw against Pep Guardiola's Manchester City with Tijjani Reijnders' strike separating the two Premier League sides – and those of a Stamford Bridge persuasion have lost patience with one player who they've branded 'useless' after their display on Sunday evening.
Without Maresca at the helm and the inexperienced Calum McFarlane in his place for the time being**,** the west Londoners were always entering this contest as unlikely winners, but it was an unforced error which allowed Reijnders to open and close the scoring in the 42d minute.
The Dutchman, signed from AC Milan in the summer, is now embarking on a rich vein of goalscoring form – but his goal was made simpler by a calamitous error at the back, courtesy of Benoit Badiashile. Chelsea enjoyed plenty of second-half chances to grab an equaliser, and they found a breakthrough in the game's final stages through Enzo Fernandez.
Chelsea Dud Endured Rough Evening Despite 1-1 Draw with Man City
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In truth, after a very poor first half showing, it would have been difficult to pinpoint any player in Chelsea colours that covered themselves in glory, but the second 45 was much, much better from a Blues standpoint.
Their unexpected draw against title-chasing City means the gap between the two sides remains at 11 points – but it's not unfair to say that Badiashile, as mentioned, was among those who flattered to deceive. Seldom trusted by Maresca, it was just his second 90-minute display in the Premier League thus far, and he highlighted his position in the pecking order.
Stationed in the middle of a Blues back four which consisted of Malo Gusto, Trevoh Chalobah, Josh Acheampong and the Frenchman himself, Badiashile's error for Reijnders' goal was the tip of the iceberg in a display that proved he is not talented enough to be a regular starter for Chelsea.
As seen in the footage above, the Frenchman's attempt to intercept the pass was lazy. Sure, he managed to ensure that it didn't land in the vicinity of the talismanic Erling Haaland (which, no doubt, would have been his primary objective) but it landed at the feet of Reijnders and his follow-up attempt to thwart a shot was not good enough.
Of course, Levi Colwill's absence through injury leaves them somewhat shortchanged in terms of decent central defensive options but Badiashile should be nearing the bottom of the pile.
The £90,000-per-week earner not being at the expected level, though, is not a revelation. Ever since moving from his homeland three years ago, the youngster has struggled to work his way into being a regular starter at Stamford Bridge – and his struggles at the Etihad Stadium proved that it may be best for all parties if they parted ways.
Benoit Badiashile - Statistics vs Man City
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Overall Rating
Badiashile: Chelsea Fans Implore Club to Sell Frenchman
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Signed from AS Monaco in January 2023, the twice-capped France international is yet to live up to his lofty expectations. As we've seen in the past, there is every chance that his stock boots hundredfold if he manages to put together a string of impressive performances – but he's no longer favoured by the Stamford Bridge faithful. "Badiashile doesn't deserve to wear a Chelsea kit," one said.
"Badiashile is such an awful player! Who the hell brought this type of player to my club?" a second fan questioned in the wake of the 24-year-old's substandard performance on away soil. Another added: "Get Badiashile out of my club already, including whoever scouted and signed him."
"How can Badiashile make the exact same error in back-to-back starts? What kind of player does that? He's not good enough at this level."
Former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca Related
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The relationship well and truly soured
"BADiashile playing just shows how low on talent Chelsea have become. That bloke is BLOODY USELESS," another added, before a final fan claimed that Chelsea need to cut their losses in the summer and let the 2001-born defender move onto pastures new. "We are not serious if Badiashile isn't on the transfer list next summer," they wrote.
All statistics per FotMob - correct as of 04/01/2026