Chelsea extended their winning run to six straight victories across all competitions after their success against Astana on Thursday afternoon.
A much-changed Chelsea side made the long trip to Kazakhstan in midweek to face Astana in the Conference League group stages. In freezing cold conditions, the Blues secured a routine 3-1 win to continue their dominance in this season’s European competition.
Marc Guiu, who led the line as the No.9, made the most of his opportunity from the start.
The 18-year-old Spanish striker has struggled since joining from Barcelona in the summer, but he scored two goals versus Astana to remind everyone of his qualities. His first goal came after a superb solo run into the box and a tidy finish, while his second was a fortunate goal that came from being in the penalty box at the right time.
Incidentally, Renato Veiga was also on the scoresheet with a headed goal from a corner.
Axel Disasi thinks Chelsea’s Guiu is a “young talent”, something he’s showing with encouraging displays in Europe this season.
Marc Guiu of Chelsea arrives at the stadium prior to the UEFA Conference League 2024/25 League Phase MD5 match between FC Astana and Chelsea FC at ...
Photo by Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Joe Cole impressed by Marc Guiu
Joe Cole really liked what he saw from Chelsea’s Guiu during Thursday’s win in Europe away to Astana.
Interestingly, he made the claim that the teenage striker must watch clips of Barcelona legend Luis Suarez, who’s widely regarded as one of the best attackers of his generation. Suarez scored 195 goals in 283 Barcelona appearances and was a genius with his movement in the final third.
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“He must have watched [Luis] Suarez as a young man in Barcelona. He’s got great movement,” Cole said on TNT Sports 2 (4:25pm, 12 December).
“This is just all about ability and athleticism (for his opening goal). He drives past the centre-half there. It’s a lovely finish. He was a thorn in the side throughout the game for them. He really impressed. In and out, direct, dribbling off the back foot, little shimmy and driving inside. That is exquisite from a young man.”
Guiu really impressed Chelsea in pre-season. Now in this campaign, he’s scored three goals in nine first-team appearances.
Unfortunately, the youngster’s got the tough challenge of trying to get into the side ahead of Nicolas Jackson of Christopher Nkunku.
The loose comparison between Guiu and Suarez makes sense because he plays with similar aggression and energy. If he can become even half as good as the former Barcelona man, Chelsea will have hit the jackpot.
Marc Guiu delivers impressive Chelsea performance
FOTMOB data has provided the individual statistics from Guiu’s Chelea display away to Astana:
Match rating 7.6
Minutes played – 78
Goals – 2
Total shots – 3
Touches in opposition box – 7
Accurate passes – 11/15 (73%)
Chances created – 1
At the age of 18, Guiu already looks a serious handful in attack. It’ll be interesting to see how Chelsea help his development in the next couple of years, but there’s no doubt he’s someone to keep an eye on.
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