Statistics show why Chelsea’s star player is under fire just weeks after returning to a famous club

The international break is always a good time to assess a player’s progress, and this November edition – coming 1/4 of the way through the new season – is as good a time as any. to do so.

One player whose progress we are very interested in watching during the new season is Romeo Lavia. After missing all but a few minutes of his first year at Chelsea injured, this second season will be his first. Like most injured players, especially those whose teams are struggling, Lavia’s fame only grew when he was present. And he received tons of praise for his good performances in the first few games he played since his return.

But the game against Arsenal at the weekend saw the first complaints against Lavia, as once again our midfield seemed to lack creativity. That would be a valuable trade if Lavia was a true ball-winning machine – but many would argue that his defensive abilities were overrated.

Romeo Lavia runs the ball through the middle of the park.

Lavia has only played 338 minutes this season, compared to Caicedo‘s 975, which must be noted. But that’s enough to get some decent data.

Caicedo is the main ball-winning force in Chelsea’s team, while Lavia appears to be more than a playmaker. But Caicedo has 0.8 key passes per game, and plays 53.1 passes with a success rate of 88.4%. Lavia has the same key passes, but plays just 29.8 per game. His accuracy is higher, but he takes fewer risks: Caicedo plays 2.1 long balls and 0.3 through balls per game, as he picked up 2 assists from them. Lavia plays just 0.8 long balls, and has yet to play a through ball (at least according to WhoScore’s explanation).