Chelsea - Some statistical considerations

I was perusing the inter-webs today, and decided I’d scan through some of the squad statistics this year. I found a few that jumped out at me, and I think they’re worth commenting on.

Eden Hazard – He has suffered 133 fouls in all competitions this year. The second highest is Ramires at 90. The fact that he’s getting fouled so much means the defence is often resorting to doing so just to stop him, which attests to how dangerous defenders view him as. As a comparison, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have only been fouled 105 and 109 times, respectively, in all competitions. To me, this shows how great Hazard is at attacking the defence. He’s willing to take players on head-to-head (which we already know, just from watching him), and as the statistics show, he’s fouled a ridiculously high percentage of the time. I truly believe we have a genuine superstar on our hands here, and one who is about to explode. Defences are resorting to fouling him to stop him – we see this with some of the best in the world, and that’s where Hazard may be heading.

Juan Mata – 44 goals. He has had a direct hand, by way of goal or assist, in 44 goals this season. There’s no doubt how influential he’s been. Also, according to whoscored.com, he’s averaging 2.7 key passes per game, second only to David Silva in the league. There is no denying his influence on the control of the match. He imposes his presence the minute he steps onto the field. And, correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe he managed to do something in that match against United on Sunday too.

Fernando Torres – I’ve made my thought’s on Torres’s efficiency well-known over the past season. But, I must say, right now he’s sitting at 21 goals on the season. I know this isn’t stunning, nor is it breaking any records – yet, in all reality, it’s a relatively decent haul, given the struggles with inconsistency we’ve been privy to seeing from him since he signed. As of late, particularly, he’s been hitting a nice bit of form. Maybe it’s true – put a mask on a guy and he’ll turn into a superhero. I thought his performance in the Europa League game against Basel was fantastic. His work-rate up and down the pitch was great – he scored a goal, then set Moses up for another. I will even admit, I felt a bit of excitement seeing him strapping on the mask to come on alongside Ba against United.

Team scoring – We have 6 players sitting in double digits as far as scoring, and 3 more on the cusp. United? 3. City? 4. The collective effort of our squad is something that should be appreciated and lauded. No one can deny the team effort and involvement. We truly work as a whole team to put the ball in the back of the net, and that’s something I feel is underrated and much unappreciated. We have a whole crop of guys who can step up in games to make the big play. A (now converted to midfield?) defensive player stepped up and did it twice against Basel with two masterclass efforts; the second of which was a true wonderstrike, effectively ending all hope for the Swiss side.

So, what do you think? Is Torres maybe coming around and worth keeping? Do we need Hazard vs Tottenham on Wednesday? Assuming (God-willing) we qualify for CL and win the Europa league, how do you rate this season as far as the development of some of the future core of the squad?

Carefree & KTBFFH!