3 takeaways as Chelsea Women dismantle Leicester City in the WSL again
1. Jelena Cankovic continues to show her class in the chances she receives
Every top class club has those quality players that must make sacrifices for the betterment of the success of the team as a whole. Jelena Cankovic is that for Chelsea Women. The Serbian made just her fifth WSL start in her first season since coming over to west London. This Wednesday was just her third in which she completed the entire 90 minutes. There is no question that she is one of the most underappreciated players on the team, but when she gets her shot, the Serbian international consistently shows Hayes she can be a real X-factor.
In the past two WSL matches where she contributed to every minute of the contest, Cankovic has complete over 83 percent of her passes while linking up with her teammates up top by executing seven or more progressive passes. The ability for her to unlock play going forward with her vision in the middle of the park takes this team to a whole different level. Her left foot, like Guro Reiten’s is one of the best of this year’s team.
Not only can she pick out passes from long distances, Cankovic has shown an ability to contribute to the goal tally as the No. 10. With the game already done and dusted, the Serbian gave the fans at Kingsmeadow who stuck around in the rain a moment of pure brilliance. The Blues’ No. 28 glided to the top of the box, and ripped a shot with so much force that Leitzig had no chance to stop it.
It was her fourth goal of the campaign and her third goal contribution in her last four WSL appearances. For a player in their first season, Cankovic has done everything Hayes has asked of her and more. While it was a struggle at the beginning of the campaign due a nagging injury, the Serbian has produced nothing but world-class displays since.