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Chelsea: Kurt Zouma’s technical ability and his unfair internet critics

By Olaoluwa Nwobodo

Chelsea's French defender Kurt Zouma (L) vies with Sevilla's Dutch forward Luuk De Jong during the UEFA Champions League first round Group E football match between Chelsea and Sevilla at Stamford Bridge in London on October 20, 2020. (Photo by Mike Hewitt / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MIKE HEWITT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Chelsea's French defender Kurt Zouma (L) vies with Sevilla's Dutch forward Luuk De Jong during the UEFA Champions League first round Group E football match between Chelsea and Sevilla at Stamford Bridge in London on October 20, 2020. (Photo by Mike Hewitt / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MIKE HEWITT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /
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SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND – JULY 11: Lys Mousset of Sheffield United and Kurt Zouma of Chelsea battle for the ball during the Premier League match between Sheffield United and Chelsea FC at Bramall Lane on July 11, 2020 in Sheffield, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND – JULY 11: Lys Mousset of Sheffield United and Kurt Zouma of Chelsea battle for the ball during the Premier League match between Sheffield United and Chelsea FC at Bramall Lane on July 11, 2020 in Sheffield, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /

Myth 2: “Zouma has bad positioning and isn’t intelligent”

There are certainly statistics that indicate how good a player is position-wise; and yes, Zouma passes the eye test too. For one, a centerback’s primary position is occupying the central area of the defensive third. Interceptions, clearances and blocked shots are easier to rack up when in good positions.

In terms of shots blocked, Zouma ranked second last season amongst Chelsea’s back line. He blocked 0.5 shots per game, trailing only Cesar Azpilicueta, who averaged 0.6. This number would be heavily influenced by how many shots the team faces per game, and last season, Chelsea faced the third least amount of shots. Therefore, this number was predictably low. For comparison, amongst centerbacks with over 19 appearances last season, for Liverpool, van Dijk recorded the most blocks (0.4). Out of Chelsea players this season that have played at least nine appearances or more, Silva has made the most blocks (0.8), followed by Zouma (0.5). For comparison, amongst Liverpool players with the same number of appearances, Fabinho has the most shots blocked (0.3). For Manchester City, it’s Ruben Dias (0.9).

In terms of interceptions per game, Zouma led all Chelsea players—yes, all players—with 2.1 last season—joint with Jorginho. This season, Zouma has led all centerbacks with nine appearances or more in interceptions (1.3), joint with Silva. For comparison, van Dijk recorded 1.1 interceptions per game, and 1.0 this season, the different teams’ styles of play would factor into this, but those are the numbers. Now, how is Zouma leading the team in interceptions if he’s not intelligent? How would he intercept balls if he’s badly positioned? How is he blocking shots if he’s in the wrong place?

Clearances are another indication of good positioning. Disagree? Try making a clearance when you’ve been caught out of position in the middle third or on a cross that is whipped into the box. Zouma led the squad in clearances per game (4.0) last season outright. He has also led the team in the same statistical category this season. The only player who has more clearances in one game is Fikayo Tomori, and Tomori has only played 45 minutes of Premier League football this season.

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