There is one area of Jadon Sancho’s game where Enzo Maresca feels the Chelsea winger really needs to improve.
On Wednesday, Maresca admitted that Sancho’s numbers needed to be better, his record in front of goal to be more precise.
For the Chelsea head coach, he is not testing the goalkeeper enough during games, with Sancho netting just twice in the Premier League this season.
With that in mind, who actually is at Chelsea? The Chelsea Chronicle has taken a look.
Nicolas Jackson
Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
In his pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea versus Tottenham Hotspur, Maresca confirmed that Nicolas Jackson was available, while he later told newspapers that the Senegal international’s teammate Sancho needed to start taking more shots.
“Jadon could shoot much more,” Maresca was quoted as saying by The Guardian. “Hopefully, he is going to shoot more from now on.”
According to WhoScored, Sancho is only taking 0.8 shots per game in the Premier League this season, whereas Jackson is registering 2.7. It is the third-highest average in Chelsea’s squad, though being the team’s first-choice striker you would expect him to be up there.
Noni Madueke
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Noni Madueke is the next highest player in Chelsea’s squad for shots per game, which is not too surprising.
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When you watch the 23-year-old play, it does feel like he is constantly cutting in from the right flank before testing the goalkeeper with his left foot. It is the kind of play you want to see from a wide attacker.
His average of shots per game currently stands at 2.8, so he is just above Jackson.
Cole Palmer
Photo by Andrew Kearns - CameraSport via Getty Images
Photo by Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images
Finally, there is Cole Palmer, which is again not a shock. There is a reason why the Englishman was Chelsea’s top scorer last season and still is this term.
Palmer loves to shoot, boasting an average of 3.6 shots per game in the current campaign. His penalties have obviously helped as well, but the 22-year-old is not afraid to take a shot and is being rewarded for it.
He is definitely someone Sancho can learn from, though time may be running out. Sancho could join Borussia Dortmund for a third time this summer, with his future really up in the air at the moment.