Chelsea are struggling defensively this season, but it’s not through a lack of effort from their attacking players, according to the stats.
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Chelsea are five games in to the new Premier League season, meaning one can look at the stats and actually draw some pertinent conclusions.
Rather than look at the usual xG or passing stats, we thought we’d look at who has run the most in the team. You’d expect Moises Caicedo to be top, but he’s been out for effectively the whole season.
Instead, it’s a summer signing, and one you might not necessarily expect – Morgan Rogers.
Rogers tops Chelsea running starts by some distance
He’s not just top – he’s miles clear. He sits on 54.9km, with second placed Cole Palmer on 51.8km, and third placed Joao Pedro on a distant 41.8km. He places 20th in the whole Premier League.
All three attackers are hard workers in terms of their defensive running, but clearly there’s also a bias towards attacking players in this stat.
It’s great news for Chelsea that their deadly front three are willing to put the hard yards in. Of course there’s more to good defending than just running around, but it’s an essential base line. Once the defensive structure has improved, their efforts will hopefully pay off a lot more.
In other news…
We’re already thinking ahead to next weekend and which players who have been on international duty might be struggling to be ready for the Bournemouth game.
Another talented South American winger has popped up on Chelsea’s radar, and we could see bids for him if he continues to improve.
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