Chelsea: Ranking Chelsea players at the Qatar FIFA World Cup

Premier League team Chelsea is currently one of the top sides with a huge presence at the ongoing 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The Blues are known for having some of the best players in world football, with most of them playing key roles for their respective countries.

A few of them have already featured during the early stages of the tournament, and as such, this article will take a look at how they have performed thus far.

#5 Edouard Mendy - Senegal

Chelsea shot-stopper Edouard Mendy didn't enjoy a debut game with his national team at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The Senegalese goalkeeper failed to keep a clean sheet against the Netherlands as they lost their opening game courtesy of a 2-0 scoreline.

Mendy was guilty of both goals scored by Luis Van Gal's team and should have done better to keep Senegal in the game. His mistimed clearance led to Cody Gakpo's opening goal in the 84th minute.

The Chelsea shot-stopper then failed to tidy up Memphis Depay's strike, which led to a rebound from Davy Klaassen in added time.

#4 Mason Mount - England

Mason Mount played a total of 70 minutes as the Three Lions of England secured an emphatic 6-2 win over Iran.

Mount operated in a midfield trio that included Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice. While the Chelsea player didn't register a goal or an assist in the encounter, his overall display was impressive.

He had a 100% dribble success rate in the first half, alongside winning 100% of his tackles, four recoveries, seven ground duels and a chance created.

#3 Christian Pulisic - USMNT

The Chelsea winger was also instrumental in his national team picking up a point against Wales during their Group B opener.

Christian Pulisic created a lovely assist for Timothy Weah to put the United States of America ahead in the 36th minute.

He was also a constant threat to the Welsh defenders, especially from the wings. Pulisic made a total of 216 touches, completing five dribbles and receiving 11 line-breaking passes.

#2 Kalidou Koulibaly - Senegal

Despite his national team being on the losing side during their opening game in Qatar, Kalidou Koulibaly was one of Senegal's stand-out performers.

The Chelsea defender was able to marshal his team's backline, which kept the highly explosive Netherlands attack quiet for close to 84 minutes.

He had a 100% tackle success rate throughout the game. He also registered six ball recoveries, five duels won, eight clearances, and one interception.

#1 Raheem Sterling - England

The Chelsea winger was on the scoresheet for the Three Lions of England as they trashed Iran 6-2.

Prior to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Raheem Sterling had been unimpressive in games for Graham Potter's Blues team. However, the winger looked like a different player against Iran.

The 27-year-old forward scored England's third goal of the encounter, reaching Harry Kane's cross in the 45th minute. He also turned provider for Bukayo Saka's second of the game and England's fourth.

Sterling completed two out of his three attempted dribbles during the game. He also had a pass accuracy rate of 86.2% while completing 25 passes.

About the author

David is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda. An Economics graduate, he boasts a work experience of around 5 years, working as a writer at Opera News Hub Nigeria, a radio presenter at Green FM Umuahia, and an analyst at Kaftan TV Abuja. His time as an anchor and a pitch-side commentator in the Higher Football League Cup (HiFL) competition in 2019 is one of his proudest professional achievements.

David started his journey as a football fan after watching the 2002 FIFA World Cup with his father. He’s a Chelsea supporter at club level, and his favorite manager is Carlo Ancelotti because of the Italian's numerous achievements across a host of European teams. Lionel Messi is the one true G.O.A.T for him and unsurprisingly, his most memorable FIFA World Cup moment is Argentina's glory in 2022. According to David, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe are on course to replicating Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's iconic rivalry in the future.

David’s football knowledge and excellent communication skills aid him to connect with readers in the simplest way possible via his articles. He makes it a point to watch matches to gain first-hand information of events and only follows renowned journalists to ensure accuracy of information. When not writing, he loves playing FIFA.

Know More