Chelsea winger Jadon Sancho scored a fantastic goal against Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend, but that was not the aspect of his performance that impressed Jody Morris.
It was a vital goal for Chelsea, who had found themselves 2-0 down less than 15 minutes into the game.
Had Jadon Sancho not scored and the Blues went into half-time with a two-goal deficit, they could have easily left the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with no points.
Chelsea’s staff told Sancho to be more greedy with the ball, and the 24-year-old took their advice in north London as he went on a good run before firing past Fraser Forster.
Jadon Sancho of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Chelsea FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on December 08, 2...
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
Jody Morris on Jadon Sancho’s performance against Tottenham
Chelsea fans are only likely to remember Sancho’s excellent strike in that 4-3 win against their fierce rivals.
However, for Morris, what stood out to him was how hard the Englishman worked out of possession.
Speaking about his performance on Rio Ferdinand Presents, the former Chelsea player and assistant manager said: “There were moments in the game yesterday that I liked from him without the ball and from a work rate perspective. I think that’s something you could have questioned about him.
“You can question his body language and his production, to be fair, all round. But I liked, there were two moments yesterday in the game where somebody else gave the ball away in front of him — I can’t remember who it was — it might have been [Marc] Cucurella higher up the pitch, and his reaction to then turn and sprint 40 yards to try and get back in… I’m like, he needs more of those moments I think to then make people believe in him a bit more.”
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Simon Jordan thinks Sancho is a great fit for Chelsea or is at least proving to be at this moment in time.
Jadon Sancho can become the complete winger
If Sancho can nail down doing the defensive part of the game, then there will not be too many better wide men in European football than the England international.
Going forward, Sancho is exceptional. He did not show that at Manchester United, but people are starting to see it at Chelsea.
As per FBref, Sancho has ranked in the 96th percentile for successful take-ons and the 91st for progressive carries among attacking midfielders and wingers over the last year.
Jadon Sancho’s dribbling stats Per 90 minutes Percentile
Progressive carries 5.37 91st
Successful take-ons 3.56 96th
Like at Borussia Dortmund, he is also starting to score and assist again. If Sancho can do that on a consistent basis at Chelsea and improve at tracking back, then Enzo Maresca could have the complete winger on his hands.
There is still a while to go before then, though, with Sancho only 10 games into his career at Stamford Bridge.
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