Alejandro Garnacho could not add to his brace against Cardiff City in Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Newcastle United on Saturday.
During the week, the winger came off the bench at the Cardiff City Stadium to score twice and help send Chelsea to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.
Joao Pedro also played well that night before netting in his side’s latest outing, scoring their all-important equaliser.
A difficult afternoon, but resilience shown by Chelsea 🙌
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However, they perhaps could have won that game as well if Garnacho had his shooting boots on.
Alejandro Garnacho of Chelsea looks on prior to the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Chelsea
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Alejandro Garnacho needs to work on his finishing
Garnacho’s performance against Newcastle was quite a mixed one. He definitely carried a threat but lacked a bit of quality in the Magpies’ box.
In total, the 21-year-old took five shots, which was more than any other player on the pitch.
Where do you think Alejandro Garnacho needs to improve after his Newcastle display?
Alejandro Garnacho's selected stats vs Newcastle
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While Garnacho has scored a couple of goals in the Carabao Cup this season following his brace away at Cardiff, he has only netted once in the Premier League.
Ultimately, Garnacho needs to refine his finishing a bit. It is not a shock given his age — the Argentina international is clearly far from being the finished article.
However, the potential is there, and with time, he should improve in multiple areas. Enzo Maresca spoke about Garnacho earlier this month, claiming that he can produce much more.
Newcastle United v Chelsea - Premier League
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Enzo Maresca should have made Jamie Gittens sub
Garnacho did manage to complete most of the dribbles that he attempted at St James’ Park, but you cannot help but feel that Jamie Gittens could have been even more of a threat running at Newcastle’s defenders.
His dribbling skills are exceptional, while Chelsea really had Newcastle on the back foot at times during the second half. He could have been the perfect sub.
As per FBref, Gittens is completing 2.98 successful take-ons per 90 minutes, which is high even for a wide man.
It does feel as though the England Under-21 international has been slightly underused this season.
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