Why Ruben Loftus-Cheek should be given more game time by Sarri
Chelsea have continued their unbeaten start under new manager Maurizio Sarri and are very much in contention for the Premier League title this season. The Blues are playing an attractive and expansive style of football under the Italian.
The London club also picked up a 3-1 victory against Bate Borisov in the Europa League and one man who stood out was youngster Ruben Loftus-Cheek. The midfielder scored all three goals for Chelsea as he picked up his first hat-trick for the Blues.
But the 22-year-old hasn’t started a single game in the Premier League this season, making just 3 substitute appearances so far. He has played 2 games in the Europa League though and has shown immense quality.
For a team that is currently experiencing issues in the forward department, Loftus-Cheek helped his team by scoring three superb goals in the Europa League. He was their most potent threat and looked extremely dangerous playing on the left-hand side of the central midfield.
Sarri fielded his favoured 4-3-3 formation, and though Loftus-Cheek was deployed in central midfield, the youngster seemed to get into the box a lot. He was comfortable with the ball at his feet and chose to drive forward at the right times.
The midfielder also possesses impressive awareness and knows when to charge forward and when to stay deep. He has averaged 1.5 shots from inside the box in both of his Europa League games this season.
He has also averaged 3.5 successful dribbles in both games and is a difficult player to get off the ball once he gets off on his runs. (Stats courtesy – Whoscored)
Chelsea strikers have been struggling for goals this season but Loftus-Cheek showed forward-like instincts against their European rivals. He was also willing to track back whenever required and ensured the Blues held their own.
Though BATE Borisov are not the toughest team Chelsea have faced, it’s Loftus-Cheek’s determination that caught the eye.
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His last few performances have definitely warranted a start in the Premier League. The midfielder is surely a great talent and Maurizio Sarri must now aim to feature him on a regular basis.