Chelsea 2021/22 player ratings (part two): Midfielders
Marcos Alonso (Left wingback): 8/10
Marcos Alonso’s frequent call ups for Spain last season were a testament to how well he played. The Spaniard started the season as Chelsea’s first-choice left wingback due to some issues with Chilwell. He eventually lost his place to the aforementioned Englishman following back-to-back home losses to Manchester City and Juventus. He regained his place in the starting XI when Chilwell got injured in December though.
Many fans complained about Alonso just out of sheer obligation, as his performances were often much better than he was given credit for. Alonso ranked 95th percentile or higher in …
- Shots per 90
- Non-penalty expected goals (npxG) per 90
- Touches in the opposition’s penalty area per 90
- Progressive passes received per 90
- Aerials won per 90
- Non-penalty expected goals plus expected assists (npxG+xA) per 90
- Shot creating actions per 90
… amongst fullbacks and wingbacks in Europe’s top five leagues. He even ranked in the 99th percentile for a couple of those areas too. Alonso ranked third in tackles plus interceptions per game over the 28 league games he played for Chelsea (3.0). The veteran created six big chances in the league, also recording eight goals plus assists. His performances in the cups were also top notch, only having a poor performance in the Club World Cup. Alonso had a superb season.
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Ben Chilwell (Left wingback): 6.5/10
Ben Chilwell’s season is a bit difficult to evaluate as he started it out on the bench with Tuchel saying it was because the former Leicester City defender was still feeling the psychological impact of not playing a single game in the Euros. He returned after the Blues lost back-to-back home games against Man City and Juventus, and he played very well in that run. Just as fans started to get excited about Chilwell’s partnership with Reece James, Chilwell tore his ACL in the Champions League and he was out for the rest of the season*. Chilwell only played 13 games for Chelsea last season, totaling 841 minutes. Not much can be made of that, but he was energetic and prolific when he played though. Chilwell’s underlapping runs were particularly effective.
*- Minus his few-minute cameo against Watford on MD38
Reece James (Right wingback): 8.5/10
Reece James was one of Chelsea’s best players last season. His injury in December saw the Blues’ results plummet, which effectively meant that Chelsea fell out of the title race. James was superb in terms of shooting, ball progression and ball distribution. In those categories, in all 16 metrics, James ranked in the 92nd percentile or higher amongst fullback and wingbacks in Europe’s top leagues last season. This is how dominant he was.
James’ crossing was also superb. He won eight tackles against Vinicius Jr. in the second leg of the Real Madrid tie, a feat that went a long way in putting Chelsea on the brink of winning the tie. Unfortunately, he was more guilty of forgetting his defensive duties than many would like to admit. James created the most chances in the Premier League for the Blues per game (1.9). He also ranked second in big chances created (nine) despite playing fewer minutes than most. James recorded 14 goals plus assists in the league, scoring some wonder-strikes along the way. He was not just superb in the Premier League, but also the Champions League and cups. He may be the player Chelsea needs to keep fit for a whole season in order to challenge for the league title.