Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle United: 4 players that impressed
Chelsea wasn’t abysmal, which was refreshing, though, there were signs of the same carelessness on defensive counter attacks that fans saw against Manchester United. Allan Saint-Maximin was having joy down the Blues’ right hand side.
The performance was better across the board, but that was easier to achieve considering the level it was against Manchester United. Poor shooting was the order of the day again, with Frank Lampard’s men taking 22 shots, but only five on target. Raheem Sterling was probably the most dangerous player on the pitch at Stamford Bridge, but here are four players that stood out for positive reasons:
4 players shined for Chelsea against Newcastle United
Raheem Sterling, No. 17, Forward
Sterling led the attack, not by leading the line, but in attacking contributions. No one on the pitch took more shots on target (2) than the former Manchester City forward. He completed 75% of his attempted dribbles, completing the second most dribbles (3) of any Chelsea player on the pitch. He was one of only three players on the pitch that created a clear cut chance, bringing his tally for the season up to seven, surpassing Hakim Ziyech‘s tally for the Premier League season (6).
Sterling won 8/10 duels, which is impressive for a forward, considering that four of the attempted 10 were attempted dribbles. He was also great defensively, making three successful tackles and winning two fouls. It was a complete performance from him and while he hasn’t been stellar all season, he was great against Newcastle United.
Noni Madueke, No. 21, Forward
Noni Madueke was one of the better players on the pitch considering what he contributed. He won the second highest volume of ground duels on the day (9/14), won the second most fouls of anyone on the pitch (3), and completed the most take-ons by any Chelsea player (5/7).
Madueke created a lot of space with his dribbling and Newcastle’s left flank found it difficult to contain him. Madueke still needs to improve his final ball, and that would be extremely important if he’s going to stake a claim to be the No. 1 right winger under Mauricio Pochettino. Ziyech and Madueke have both played 648 official minutes for the Blues in the league this season, but Ziyech has been much more effective in the final third.
Ziyech has created 15 chances where the former PSV Eindhoven forward has created 13. However, Ziyech has created 6 big chances, second most for the Blues this season, but the newly signed January acquisition has no big chance created to his name. This is especially telling when you consider that Madueke has completed 33 dribbles, second most for Chelsea this season, where the Morocco vice-captain has completed just 14 dribbles.
Furthermore, Ziyech has more in expected assists (1.5), compared to Madueke (0.7), almost half of the Moroccan’s. This is not to knock Madueke but to emphasize that he has to be a lot more effective in the final third, as effectiveness determines the value to teams. That said, Madueke created the second most chances for the home side (3).
Lewis Hall, No. 67, Left Back
Hall once again stood up to be counted. He put in another superb showing in and out of possession. The youngster won 5/9 ground duels, created three chances, including one big chance. The big chance puts Hall at five big chances created for Chelsea this season, ranking him joint third, despite just playing 657 minutes in regulation time.
At 1.7 chances created per game, only N’Golo Kante has created more (1.9) for the Blues in the just concluded Premier League season. The ever reliable Hall made 4/4 tackles and completed an impressive 4/15 crosses into the penalty area. Blues’ fans would definitely be seeing a lot more of him next season.
Enzo Fernandez, No. 5, Central midfielder
Chelsea moved the ball very well, and Fernandez played a significant part in that. He completed 10/12 long balls and made an incredible 18 passes into the final third, according to FotMob. He did lose possession 19 times, which is uncomfortably high for the position he played.
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He actually wasn’t great out of possession, winning just 3/9 ground duels and losing all three tackles he attempted. His passing was very helpful though, and has been all season. With the right tactical structure in place, the Argentine technician would be a lot more effective.