Chelsea have finally reached a quick breather in their season – two weeks off before things get REALLY wacky – so it’s a good chance to look back at what we’ve seen so far this campaign.
A bright start has faded in the wake of major injury problems and an unbelievable fixture pileup. But which players are still contributing despite the team’s struggles?
In attack, a glance at the non-penalty expected goals plus assists (per 90) on FBRef gives perhaps the most well rounded view of who is helping the team in attack.
Mason Mount, who leads the team on combined goals and assists, leads the way on 0.61, while Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner follow him on 0.55. Then comes Hakim Ziyech, then Reece James, then Callum Hudson-Odoi.
It’s notable that, of our attacking options, Christian Pulisic and Kai Havertz rank last in this category, and that is reflected by their dwindling usage by the manager.
Well if you’re going to put Pulisic as a Left Back how do expect him to score???
Maybe a little context would be useful. Has Mount, Werner, Odoi etc. been played out of position? Those stats mean nothing because it’s not apples to apples.