Questions to be asked of Chelsea ahead of Club World Cup

2. Can the attack find consistency?

If ever there was a discourse in the fanbase that would make you nod in agreement while also simultaneously escalating your blood pressure, it’s the one about the state of the Chelsea attack. Regardless of what side of the argument you find yourself on, the truth is somewhere in the middle.

The Blues field one of the most effective offensive sides in the league. They average 1.96 goals per 90 minutes, generating 4.96 shots on target with a conversion rate of 34 percent—all of which rank amongst the top of all Premier League clubs. It may be easy to be frustrated when watching Chelsea on the pitch, but the data suggests that it is efficient in a system that is well-coached. The challenge, however, lies in the consistency in the Blues’ forward play. It does not take an expert analyst or data scientist to conclude that Chelsea has one of the lackluster forward units in the league. Even after investing over £200 million on Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and Romelu Lukaku in the past two years, the Blues are desperately seeking a dangerous and consistent threat on their front line.

A glimpse of the data will tell you that Havertz, Lukaku and Werner all rank in the mid-to-lower tier of attacking statistics when compared to teammates. All sit outside of the top 10 when measuring goal-creating actions per 90 minutes, and Lukaku is the only striker who has a respectable conversion rate when assessing goals per shot on target (50 percent). If this Chelsea squad is to win the Club World Cup later this week, it’ll need to find consistency in its attack. Callum Hudson-Odoi, Mason Mount and Hakim Ziyech have all been consistent role players, but without an in-form Havertz or Lukaku reliably finishing chances, the Blues will surely struggle to get results against some of the toughest opposition the rest of the world has to offer.