Chelsea concluded their summer transfer business by signing Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho on a season-long loan deal, bringing Enzo Maresca’s signings to 12.
It has been a mixed start to the season, however, as the Stamford Bridge side have won only two of their opening four matches.
The 6-2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers looked like it could set the tone for a solid season, showcasing Chelsea’s attacking talent at their best, but then they went on to lose against Servette in the second leg of their Europa Conference League qualifier.
Several of the starting XI failed to take their chance in the side, most notably Mykhaylo Mudryk, who was disappointing against the Swiss side.
Mykhaylo Mudryk’s game in numbers vs Servette
The winger was deployed on the left flank yet failed to score or provide an assist during his 74 minutes on the field.
The Ukrainian did register three shots while succeeding with 100% of his dribble attempts, but he also missed a big chance, lost possession 14 times and won just three of his seven ground duels in the game.
Mykhaylo Mudryk’s stats vs Servette
Total shots
3
Possession lost
14
Big chances missed
1
Key passes
1
Dribble attempts (successful)
1 (1)
Ground duels (won)
7 (3)
Via Sofascore
The Blues lost 2-1, yet still progressed to the group stages, but Mudryk will have been disappointed to have not registered at least one goal contribution.
Nick Purewal of the Standard gave the winger a match rating of 5/10, stating that Mudryk ‘struggled to find his way’ and the pressure is clearly on for him to deliver under yet another manager.
This performance will likely see Maresca drop him to the bench against Crystal Palace. There is only one player who should come back into the starting XI – Cole Palmer.
The player to replace Mudryk vs Palace
The Englishman enjoyed a stellar debut campaign in London, scoring 27 goals and grabbing a further 15 assists in all competitions for the Blues.
Following the end of last season, talent scout Jacek Kulig lavished praise on the youngster, saying: “A truly incredible campaign for the 22-year-old attacking midfielder. One of this season’s biggest winners.”
The onus is for him to continue this momentum during the current campaign. He scored against Wolves last weekend during Chelsea’s thumping win and has registered three assists in his two Premier League matches so far.
Along with these goal involvements, Palmer has created two big chances, averaged three key passes per game and averaged one successful dribble per game.
After a campaign as successful as 2023/24, on a personal level anyway, he will be judged on the goals he scores for Chelsea this season. But the statistics from the opening couple of games suggest he will offer more than just a direct threat in front of goal.
This clearly suggests Maresca will have to unleash him against Palace this afternoon, especially if he wants the best chance of securing another three points in the Premier League.
