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Ben Chilwell to Chelsea thread:
Chelsea have reportedly agreed a fee with Leicester for Ben Chilwell, the 23 years old left-back. Let’s take a look at his strengths and weaknesses.
In the 19/20 season, Chelsea conceded 77 goals across 54 games in all competitions, equivalent to 1.43 goals conceded per game. A figure which is unacceptable for a side with high standards. This is why Chelsea are looking for new defensive additions.
While they had defensive struggles, Chelsea often struggled to break low blocks as well, especially because of the lack of offensive threat from their full-backs.
It won’t be the case with Ben Chilwell. The left-back is one of the best ball-carriers in his position, being ranked first among PL left-backs for progressive runs. With 1.3 key passes per 90 minutes, he stands third among PL left-backs in this department.
Chilwell is also able to progress the ball thanks to his passing, as he is ranked third for passes into the final third among PL left-backs.
Finally, he is ranked fourth for shot-creating actions among PL left-back. Adding to this, he stands at 0.13 xA in the league this season, which puts him in the 86th percentile for full-backs with 10+ starts in Europe’s top five leagues. This shows he is a good creator.
The English left-back has another major strength, he knows how to time his over/underlapping runs. This is depicted below.
While his offensive capabilities probably made him the perfect choice for Chelsea, Chilwell is also a good player on the defensive end.
His best attribute is his aerial ability, thanks to his great vertical leap. He stands at 73.8% in terms of aerial success, which puts him in the 98th percentile among left-backs with over 10+ starts in Europe’s top five leagues this season.
When it comes to tackles won, interceptions and successful pressures, Chilwell ranks in the 63rd percentile for all of them, which is quite good for any Top 4 side looking for a reliable defender.
Furthermore, Chilwell can either play in a back 4 or in a back 5. This could help Lampard’s tactical versatility as he would be able to adapt his tactics to his opponent while not changing his personnel.
The left-back is also extremely reliable as he has only missed 20 games since the start of the 2016/17 season. Over the last two seasons, he has missed six games and has played 63 league games out of a possible 78.
However, the English man still has flaws. He needs to be stronger in the tackle as he is often dribbled past (1.1, highest in the league for a left-back). He also needs to be more careful in possession as he is the most dispossessed left-back in the league.
Chilwell is only 23 years and has room to improve. He is already one of the best left-backs in the Premier League and will be the starting left-back for a Champions League club. He will be surrounded with better players which means he will only grow as a player.
