Chelsea had a great night out against Aston Villa, but it didn’t start out that way. An away game against Villa is always difficult for the Blues, but this game did not go that way. The Blues usually rely on a fixed group of players for goals and for chance creation.
Against Aston Villa, another player stood tall. That player was Alejandro Garnacho. Most Chelsea fans don’t have a good word to say about this youngster; Manchester United fans have even fewer good things to say about him. The Blues' No. 49 has always been consistent in one thing in all his games: threat.
Liam Rosenior learned something new about Alejandro Garnacho
Garnacho has always had the ability to stretch defenses, even as a teenager in Manchester. This ability means that certain teams are in danger when against the Argentina international.
Villa was on the receiving end of an in-form Garnacho last night. The game was open and was perfectly set up for the former Man Utd forward to thrive. From kickoff, the 21-year-old created problems for the home side. Unai Emery’s men must have looked forward to when he’d be taken off, only for it to never happen.
Garnacho was Chelsea’s creative machine. He was the Blues' best creator on the night, by any standard. He created six chances, which is three more than the next best person. That’s double what Cole Palmer created. The youngster also created two clear-cut chances, double the number of any other player.
The Blues No. 49 was excellent, not even misplacing a single pass. No one on the pitch won as many fouls as he did. Unsurprisingly, Garnacho accumulated the most in expected assists (xA), 0.86. He has not started many games this season, having played fewer than 1,000 minutes, even with yesterday’s 90 minutes.
What Liam Rosenior needs to do now, is reward this performance with another start. Garnacho’s performance so far is better than whatever Jamie Gittens has been doing. The expectation is for the former Man United forward to build on this performance and take control of the left winger position.
Chelsea slaughtered Villa, winning 4-1 despite a shaky start in the first five minutes. Yes, Joao Pedro scored a beautiful hat-trick to ensure the win from behind. However, Garnacho drove everything else in the final third, including chance creation and distribution. The Blues No. 49 was the only player in the front three who didn’t get substituted off, and rightly so.