Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was full of praise for former Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger after his performance last night.
The Italian told Fabrizio Romano he was delighted with the performance of the 30-year-old in the tough circumstances that surrounded facing Manchester City in the Champions League.
The daunting task of facing Erling Haaland awaited Rudiger last night, as the two sides begun their battle for a place in the Champions League.
It was however a vintage display from the defender, who showed some of the abilities Blues fans had been used to seeing in his final couple of seasons at Stamford Bridge.
Ancelotti was delighted with the performance of his summer addition, who has found gametime hard to come by at times this year.
He said: “Toni Rüdiger… excellent. Top performance. He was very good, he’s a player with great experience, quality. It wasn’t easy but he played very well. I’m so happy with Toni.”
Rudiger impresses Ancelotti
It was a big blow to the club when it became clear that the Germany international was going to be leaving at the end of last season.
It brought about somewhat of a panic for the Blues when it came to trying to replace his impact, which has proven to be an extremely difficult task.
They signed Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella have both been signed with an eye to addressing the left-hand-side of the defence, however both have struggled to get to grips with things in West London.
Wesley Fofana has also been brought in as a defensive reinforcement, and he has looked like a great buy despite injuries affecting him greatly this year.
The trio were ultimately not enough to replicate Rudiger’s brilliance, and their January rebuild included the signing of Benoit Badiashile from France.
He opened his account for the club at the weekend, drawing praise from interim manager Frank Lampard in the process.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
