After beating Barcelona and drawing with Arsenal, Chelsea’s good week of results came grinding to a halt away to Leeds United.
Enzo Maresca's side were defeated 3-1 at Elland Road, with two strikes in the first half and a late goal enough to sink them.
They did, of course, get on the scoresheet themselves. Pedro Neto was the man who found the back of the net, converting a Jamie Gittens cross at the back post just after half-time.
However, it proved to be too little, with Chelsea putting in a lacklustre performance overall.
Stach
It was a night to forget for the West Londoners, and in particular, Tosin Adarabioyo.
Tosin’s struggles vs. Leeds
At 2-1 down with 15 minutes or so to go, Chelsea were still in the game. However, it was an error from Tosin which gifted the home side the chance to score their third and seal an impressive victory.
Tosin-Adarabioyo-Chelsea
Dominic Calvert-Lewin was the man who tapped home from two yards out. It came after Tosin played a risky backpass to Robert Sanchez, putting the Spaniard under immediate pressure in his six-yard box.
Leeds pounced, won the ball back, and it was a simple tap-in for their number nine.
The former Manchester City academy player has been a bit-part player under Maresca this term. Tosin has only played 13 games across all competitions, amassing 872 minutes. That is the equivalent of just nine full 90-minute games.
It will be interesting to see what his role is going forward after an error like that. Former Blues midfielder John Obi Mikel said in the summer that Tosin is “not a Chelsea standard defender.”
Well, after an error like that, it is easy to see why Mikel is of that opinion.
Tosin vs Leeds
There is a defender waiting in the wings who Maresca could unleash to effectively end Tosin’s time at Stamford Bridge.
The Chelsea star ready to overtake Tosin
Chelsea’s depth at centre-back took a hit in August when Levi Colwill suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury. The full extent of Maresca’s squad at centre-back has been tested this season, including Tosin.
One man who has impressed and could leapfrog the 28-year-old in the pecking order is academy graduate Josh Acheampong. At 19 years of age, he has been described as the “future of Chelsea” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig.
josh-acheampong-chelsea
Acheampong has certainly had his minutes managed by the Italian. He’s played nine times, but has impressed on each of those occasions, playing more than an hour four times in the Premier League.
He even got his first senior goal away to Nottingham Forest in the 3-0 win at the City Ground in October.
One of the standout attributes in Acheampong’s game is his ability on the ball. Kulig noted that he has “excellent technical capacity and range of passing,” which would serve him well in a Chelsea side that likes to dominate the ball.
In the Premier League this season, they average 58.7% possession, the third highest in the top flight.
Indeed, his underlying numbers reinforce the fact that Acheampong is such a good ball-playing defender.
The England under-21 star ranks in the top 9% of centre-backs in Europe for average passes completed per game, with 67.34.
Acheampong vs European centre-backs
Stat (per 90)
Passes completed
Pass accuracy
Carries
Tackles won
Interceptions
Stats from FBref
Chelsea’s whole club philosophy at the moment is about investing in youth and looking towards the future.
Being a Cobham graduate, Acheampong certainly puts a big tick in that box and has already shown his quality at first-team level.
Acheampong
Tosin’s bad form could well be enough for Maresca to ditch him from the starting lineup. With injuries being an issue and such a need to rotate the squad, it might provide Acheampong with the perfect opportunity to stake his claim and lock down a permanent starting spot.
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