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Chelsea’s 2022/23 team of the season: 3-4-2-1 featuring Enzo

By Olaoluwa Nwobodo

Chelsea (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Chelsea (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images) /
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Chelsea’s English midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek applauds at the end of the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge in London on May 28, 2023. Chelsea equalised 1 – 1 against Newcastle United. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images) /

Ruben Loftus-Cheek, No. 12, Central Midfielder, England

There wasn’t a long list to choose from, and it was realistically between Loftus-cheek and Mateo Kovacic, and Loftus-Cheek edged it. The Englishman has unsurprisingly been linked with Serie A’s AC Milan. He was better at carrying the ball, and was much better at keeping the ball, than Kovacic, which is rare, but shows just how unreliable some of the formerly reliable players have been this season.

‘Kova’ completed 89% of his passing in the league, created two big chances, and completed 58% of his dribbles, making 1.2 per game. He also won more ground duels than Kovacic per game (3.6), and at a higher rate, 58%. He won 1.4 duels per game to Kovacic’s 0.4, and made 0.4 fouls per game, less than Kovacic’s 0.7. The Croatian blows the former Blues No. 12 out of the water in completed passes into the final third and progressive passes though.

Raheem Sterling, No. 17, Left winger, England

Chelsea’s forwards did not perform well at all this season, Sterling included. However, after all is said and done, forwards still have to be selected for this list according to the aforementioned criteria, and relative to the other forwards, Sterling comes out on top, though “top” is a strong word, as the former Manchester City star had a forgettable season. Sterling led the Blues in assists, big chances created, and total completed passes into the penalty area. He also ranked second for total key passes (34), making just four less than the top-ranked key passer in Blue. He ranked highest for total expected assists, 3.2. Yes, these numbers leave a lot to be desired, but no one did better in many of these metrics, and many players played more than the forward.

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