Chelsea are coming off the back of back-to-back losses against Brighton and Hove Albion, which sees them now knocked out of the FA Cup and sitting sixth in the Premier League.
Despite having more of the ball with 69% possession in their latest meeting, the Blues only managed to create one “big chance” and only took eight shots in the game, with zero of those shots on target.
Meanwhile, Kaoru Mitoma showed a moment of pure class against Enzo Maresca’s side, plucking one out of the sky, cutting inside and slotting it past Filip Jorgensen to give the Seagulls a 1-0 lead.
Kaoru Mitoma's season in numbers
Mitoma has made 28 appearances for Brighton so far this season, scoring seven goals, providing three assists and totalling 2,181 minutes played.
In The Pipeline
The 27-year-old has shown his class over the past few campaigns in the Premier League, adding this “Messi-like” moment to his highlight reel – as hailed by pundit Jamie Carragher.
The Japan international has proven his ability as a two-way winger, having the ability to slow things down, beat his man 1v1 on the outside, but also cut inside, and make runs in behind to threaten teams directly towards goal, which was shown in the nature of his 20th Brighton goal.
This two-way wing threat is exactly what Chelsea seem to be missing right now, with their current options struggling to provide multiple forms of threat, making them easier to read and more one dimensional.
But they could have their answer to Mitoma waiting in the pipeline, who’s already been given some chances under Maresca this season.
Chelsea's answer to Mitoma
19-year-old winger, Tyrique George has managed to break into the first-team squad under Maresca this season, now making 12 senior appearances, seven of those coming in the UEFA Conference League, which has given some players the chance to show their worth.
The young winger has already received high praise from teammate Jadon Sancho, who claimed George “has the world at his feet”, singling out his humble attitude.
Opponent
Wing Pairing (45+ minutes)
Shots
Fulham
Sancho + Neto
12
Ipswich
Felix + Madueke
20
Crystal Palace
Sancho + Neto
15
Morecambe
Neto + George
28
Bournemouth
Sancho + Madueke
26
Wolves
Neto + Madueke
19
Man City
Sancho + Madueke
10
West Ham
Sancho + Madueke
22
Brighton
Sancho + Neto
8
Brighton
Sancho + Neto
8
When looking at Chelsea’s shot totals in their past ten games based on their wing pairings, you can see three of the four lowest have come with the pairing of Sancho and Pedro Neto.
Whilst both players have their strengths, their desire to come towards the ball, rather than making runs away from the ball, causes an imbalance in the front line, when you consider their peers in attack are Cole Palmer and Christopher Nkunku, who both also prefer to drop deep and receive the ball to feet.
George would offer more of an ability to stretch play with runs in behind, being direct towards the penalty area when he does have the chance to attack the box, and also having a different mindset when it comes to getting shots off, whereas Neto and Sancho tend to look for the pass first.
With Noni Madueke and Mykhailo Mudryk both unavailable for the Blues, Maresca will have to find other solutions to provide more directness and shot volume in wide areas, and the skill set George brings to the team could be exactly what allows him to do so, adding a valuable player profile to the front line that Chelsea currently lack.
Having seen the havoc that another devastating winger can cause first-hand, in the form of Mitoma, the Blues could well have their own version of the Brighton speedster.
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1 ByEmilio GalantiniFeb 15, 2025
