Jordan Henderson of Chelsea passes the ball
Photo by Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images
Chelsea’s midfield battle against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light this weekend could be a very interesting one.
Romeo Lavia was excellent against Manchester United, so Chelsea fans will want to see him retain his place in the starting XI. However, that was the second time in a row he played 90 minutes. Given his injury record, Xabi Alonso may want to be cautious with the 22-year-old.
If Alonso chooses to give Lavia a rest, that could see Jordan Henderson return to the side. Henderson is only at Chelsea because the Blues failed to sign Granit Xhaka, who was Alonso’s priority until Sunderland made it clear they would not be selling their captain.
With that in mind, how do the two compare this season? Well, off the ball, Henderson seems to be doing a bit more than his Sunderland counterpart.
Romeo Lavia or Alex Scott? Who would Moises Caicedo rather start alongside and why?
Lavia please he believably a better option
I would really, really like to see Scott play alongside Caicedo but maybe that’s a grass is always greener approach.
If it was a level playing field, Lavia. But given his fitness issues, it's got be Scott regularly? Nice headache to have!
According to FotMob, his distance covered in the Premier League is 11.7 km per 90 minutes. Xhaka’s is 11.3 km. Henderson is also running and sprinting more.
He is currently running 2.8 km and making nine sprints per 90. In contrast, Xhaka is running 2.7 km and making just 3.89 sprints.
On the ball, Henderson is averaging roughly the same number of passes as Xhaka, while his accuracy is higher. However, Xhaka’s range has been better this term and the passes he has been playing have been more productive.
For example, Xhaka is making 15 line-breaking passes per 90. He is also creating 2.20 chances on average. Henderson, on the other hand, is only making 7.50 line-breaking passes and 1.50 chances.
Player League games Minutes Distance covered per 90 Number of sprints per 90 Successful passes per 90 Successful passes % Line-breaking passes per 90 Chances created per 90 Defensive contributions per 90
Jordan Henderson 4 360 11.7 km 9 49.75 85% 7.50 1.50 6.50
Granit Xhaka 9 810 11.3 km 3.89 51.78 82.6% 15 2.22 10.78
Defensively, Xhaka also comes out on top, averaging 10.78 defensive contributions per 90 compared to Henderson’s average of 6.50. The Switzerland international has averages of 1.56 and 1.11 for tackles and interceptions, while Henderson only has averages of 0.75 and 0.25 respectively.
What we’ve learnt about Jordan Henderson and Granit Xhaka
While Alonso clearly wanted Xhaka after working with him at Bayer Leverkusen, he can still be happy with the addition of Henderson. At the end of the day, Chelsea were looking for an experienced midfielder and they acquired just that after landing Henderson.
Last term, they missed having a player like Henderson. As the above shows, the England international is a midfielder who works extremely hard. Even at 36, he is still willing to run up and down the pitch and make sprints. Before Alonso came in, Chelsea were being outrun in all of their games, but Henderson has helped to address that issue.
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In possession, Xhaka is making better use of the ball, even if Sunderland are struggling right now. He is passing through the lines, creating chances and spreading the play.
Xhaka and Henderson may both be veteran midfielders, but in their careers at this moment in time, they are excelling in different areas. While Henderson gives you an engine, Xhaka provides a bit of a spark while also not being afraid to get his hands dirty.