Chelsea beware: Young Englishman Saido Berahino could dent the Blues’ Premier League title hopes

Saido Berahino

Chelsea cruised to a 3-0 win over Schalke in midweek, but Jose Mourinho’s side face tough opposition in the form of West Brom at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, and youngster Saido Berahino could just help the Baggies get a result in west London.

The 20-year-old caused a real stir in the Premier League with the winning goal in a stunning win for Steve Clarke’s men at Manchester United in September, and he has continued to impress in England’s top flight, causing many to think he is ready for a call-up to the senior national squad after impressing for the Under-21s.

At Old Trafford, Berahino’s work rate was unrivalled as he consistently found joy on the flank, spending 21.5 per cent of his time near the United by-line out on the wing. His ability to drift inside also caused David Moyes’ side plenty of problems and that could be a real issue for Chelsea, especially after Schalke’s Julian Draxler exposed the same area on Wednesday night.

There’s also a major defensive issue for the Blues at the weekend, after Ashley Cole turned out one of his worst performances in a Chelsea shirt in the defeat at Newcastle last Saturday.

The England veteran ended up with a Squawka Performance Score of -8 at St James’ Park as he struggled to cope with the threat of Moussa Sissoko and Mathieu Debuchy down Newcastle’s right-hand side.

With Ryan Bertrand injured and Cesar Azpilicueta filling in on Wednesday, Cole is likely to start on Saturday, and his massive dip in performance against the Magpies will be something the Baggies will target.

Ashley Cole’s Performance Score this season

Against Crystal Palace last weekend Berahino was a constant danger on the right wing, but also spent a fifth of his time in the hole between midfield and defence. Julian Draxler constantly exploited this area and created several chances for Schalke on Wednesday, but Jens Keller’s side couldn’t finish it off.

Berahino, however, showed up Manchester United in that area and found plenty of joy there too at Selhurst Park against Crystal Palace last week. If Chelsea leave the same gaps available on Saturday they could pay the price.

For England Under-21s Berahino has an impressive record of four goals in three appearances, having most recently notched two against Lithuania.

The pacy youngster has two goals in seven appearances for the Baggies, and his duels statistics also make impressive reading. In the Premier League he has a 100 per cent tackle success rate, but he also wins more take ons and headed duels than he loses.

West Brom have been a mixed bag this season, winning as many as they have lost, but Chelsea too have shown signs of weakness, particularly in the defeat to Newcastle last weekend. Steve Clarke has more knowledge of Chelsea’s system than most, and will undoubtedly use the young talent in his squad to exploit the weaknesses that have been exposed in recent weeks.