Chelsea have been dealt a double blow, with Ben Chilwell set to miss the rest of the season with a cruciate ligament injury, whilst Reece James looks set to be out for a number of weeks after picking up an injury against Brighton.
Under Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea have been reliant on their two wingbacks for creativity, and losing both at the same time threatens to derail their season.
Reinforcements could be added in January, and one name that has been heavily linked is Lucas Digne. The France international has reportedly fallen out with Rafa Benitez at Everton, and with the Toffees set to sign Vitaliy Mykolenko in the window, Digne could be available to move to West London.
Digne has plenty of experience at the top level, having previously played for Lille, PSG, Roma and Barcelona before joining Everton in 2018.
We’ve compared his stats from this season to Chelsea’s current wingbacks, to see if he could provide adequate cover in such an important area of the pitch.
Note: stats are taken only from Premier League games in the 2021-22 season.
Goals
Reece James – 4
Ben Chilwell – 3
Marcos Alonso – 1
Cesar Azpilicueta – 0
Lucas Digne – 0
Assists
Reece James – 5
Marcos Alonso – 2
Cesar Azpilicueta – 2
Ben Chilwell – 1
Lucas Digne – 0
Just how good is Lucas Digne’s delivery? 🎯pic.twitter.com/38c4FUWrUh
— GOAL (@goal) September 14, 2020
Shots per 90 minutes (inside penalty area)
Ben Chilwell – 2.2 (1.7)
Reece James – 1.7 (0.9)
Marcos Alonso – 1.2 (0.7)
Lucas Digne – 0.7 (0.2)
Cesar Azpilicueta 0.5 (0.3)
Dribbles (success rate)
Reece James – 1.4 (70%)
Lucas Digne – 0.6 (46.1%)
Ben Chilwell – 0.5 (50%)
Marcos Alonso – 0.5 (41.6%)
Cesar Azpilicueta – 0.4 (80%)
Fouls won per 90 minutes
Ben Chilwell – 2.5
Marcos Alonso – 1.4
Reece James – 1.4
Lucas Digne – 0.7
Cesar Azpilicueta – 0.2
Passes per 90 minutes (success rate)
Cesar Azpilicueta – 54.5 (84.1%)
Reece James – 51.3 (87.6%)
Ben Chilwell – 44.8 (82.9%)
Marcos Alonso – 33 (81%)
Lucas Digne – 29.7 (75.9%)
This Lucas Digne cross is just beautiful 😍pic.twitter.com/PKCUW69wWM
— GOAL (@goal) November 23, 2020
Chances created per 90 minutes
Reece James – 2.5
Ben Chilwell – 1.7
Lucas Digne – 1.7
Marcos Alonso – 1.6
Cesar Azpilicueta – 0.7
Tackles per 90 minutes (success rate)
Lucas Digne – 2.5 (80.6%)
Cesar Azpilicueta – 2.5 (75.7%)
Marcos Alonso – 1.9 (65.5%)
Reece James – 1.5 (65.2%)
Ben Chilwell – 1.3 (72.2%)
Interceptions per 90 minutes
Marcos Alonso – 2.1
Lucas Digne – 1.1
Cesar Azpilicueta – 1
Reece James – 0.9
Ben Chilwell – 0.7
Clearances per 90 minutes
Cesar Azpilicueta – 2.8
Marcos Alonso – 2.4
Ben Chilwell – 2.3
Lucas Digne – 1.9
Reece James – 0.7
More Chelsea
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‘Best RB in the country’: Nine quotes about Reece James’ stunning form
https://www.planetfootball.com/quick-reads/comparing-lucas-dignes-21-22-stats-to-chelseas-current-wingbacks/
