Chelsea must win their final Club World Cup group stage game against ES Tunis to reach the knockout rounds.
Following a straightforward 2-0 win over LAFC in their opening match, Enzo Maresca’s side shipped three goals in the final 30 minutes to eventually lose 3-1.
Nicolas Jackson, who came on as a second-half substitute for Liam Delap, was sent off just four minutes into his cameo following a dreadful challenge on Ayrton Lucas.
With the Senegal international suspended, Delap will be trusted to lead the line against the African side on Wednesday, and he has played well.
The youngster grabbed an assist in his first-ever match for the Blues and looked like a real handful against Flamengo before being brought off.
If he maintains this form, Maresca may have landed himself a bargain as the Englishman will only continue to get better and better.
Another player who has impressed at the Club World Cup is Pedro Neto. He enjoyed a solid first season at Stamford Bridge, but can this tournament give him the platform to emerge as a key player under the Italian next season?
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Pedro Neto’s Club World Cup statistics
The Portuguese winger was given a start against LAFC in the opening group stage match, and he certainly delivered.
Neto scored the opener against the MLS side with a well-taken finish after running onto a through ball.
The winger also completed 92% of his passes, made four key passes, succeeded with five of his seven dribbles and created a big chance.
He was arguably the club’s best player during the match, and he continued this form into the next game, despite Chelsea suffering a defeat.
Once again, the former Wolverhampton Wanderers winger opened the scoring for the Blues, capitalising on some poor defending from the opposition to race away and slot home his second goal of the tournament.
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Pedro Neto’s Club World Cup stats |
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|---|---|
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Goals |
2 |
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Assists |
0 |
|
Big chances created |
2 |
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Key passes per game |
2.5 |
|
Successful dribbles per game |
4 |
|
Total duels won per game |
6.5 |
|
Via Sofascore |
|
Aside from his goal, he also created a big chance, made one key pass and attempted seven dribbles throughout the encounter.
These statistics prove that Neto has been the most dangerous player on the Chelsea side so far, and Maresca will need him to perform in a similar fashion against ES Tunis.
If so, the Stamford Bridge side will ease into the last 16. While Neto is shining stateside, it hasn’t stopped the manager from turning to the transfer market in order to bolster his wide options.
Indeed, one player who has been linked with a move to London might even be a more exciting prospect than Neto, that’s for sure.
Chelsea’s search for a new winger
It isn’t a secret that the club are keen on bringing in another winger or two this summer. Players such as Mohammed Kudus, Tyler Dibling and Malick Fofana have been linked with the Blues of late.
While all three would make solid signings, with the latter two wonderful prospects for the future, it is Jamie Gittens who Maresca is desperate to sign this summer.
The club had a bid of around £42m rejected by Borussia Dortmund a few weeks ago, as the German side were holding out for a much higher fee.
Although it looked as though they were the frontrunners in the race to sign the English talent, it now looks as though a European heavyweight are ready to rival Chelsea.
According to German outlet Kicker, Bayern Munich have now joined the race for Gittens, and they are reportedly in talks with the current Dortmund sensation.
This is a blow for Maresca, but the report does note that the Blues are still in ‘negotiations’ to bring the English forward to Stamford Bridge with a bid of £51m ‘on the table’.
Why Chelsea must sign Jamie Gittens
Neto has impressed so far during the Club World Cup, showing the promise that made the Blues splash out to sign him last summer.
Going into next season, he should have the right wing position sorted, especially as Noni Madueke’s future is uncertain.
That said, Gittens is still only 20 and no doubt a much more exciting prospect for the Blues on the opposite flank. He may have struggled to impress under Niko Kovac and his tactical system, but his spell at Dortmund has been a huge success.
Across 107 matches in all competitions, he has registered 31 goal contributions – 17 goals and 14 assists – with seven coming in the Champions League.
His performances last season led journalist Dougie Critchley to heap plenty of praise on the youngster, saying: “He’s only 20, and this is his breakout campaign, but some of his finishing has been absolutely world-class. Crucially, he’s already making decisive contributions in the BIGGEST games (Real, Bayern, Leverkusen, Frankfurt).”
There is absolutely no doubt that Gittens has an incredible future in the game. A fresh start is required, however, especially with Kovac looking like he will be at Dortmund for the long haul.
Such is his impact over the previous 365 days, Gittens ranks highly among his positional peers across several attacking metrics.
Not only does the winger rank in the top 15% for non-penalty goals (0.41) per 90, but he also ranks in the top 9% for progressive carries (5.51) and in the top 1% for successful take-ons (3.57) per 90 across Europe’s top five leagues.
In comparison, over the same period, Neto fails to even rank in the top 70% for non-penalty goals per 90 and in the top 60% for successful take-ons per 90, proving that Gittens is certainly the most exciting talent.
How much is Maresca willing to spend on Gittens, though? That is the question the supporters will hopefully find out the answer to sooner rather than later.
He could be a fantastic addition to the Chelsea side. With Bayern interested, however, will this prove to be Chelsea’s undoing? Or can they beat the six-time European Cup winners to the prodigious talent? Only time will tell.
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