Chilwell V Tagliafico: Who Would Be A Better Signing For Chelsea? We Compare Four Key Stats

After making comparisons between Kai Havertz and Jadon Sancho last week, we are now going to assess Chelsea’s two main targets for the left-back position: Ben Chilwell and Nicolas Tagliafico.

The Blues are said to be prioritising Chilwell over Tagliafico, although the latter is said to be available for a third of the price.

So, would manager Frank Lampard be better off with his first choice or going for the more economical option?

Press the next page, as we compare four stats that may suggest which player would be the better signing for Chelsea.

Crossing

A key area in the modern game for any fullback, and interestingly enough Chilwell and Tagliafico both impress in this metric. This season, the Leicester fullback has averaged 3.23 crosses per 90 minutes compared to the Ajax star’s 2.8.

However, the Argentinian international is more accurate, with an extremely impressive 42.2% finding a teammate. Chilwell’s 34% accuracy is actually very good as well but not as good as Tagliafico.

Defensive Duels Won

Fullbacks generally get caught up in one-on-ones with opposing wingers and forwards, and so while the number of defensive duels won won’t tell us a whole lot, the percentage that they win will show how good they are in dealing with opposition threats.

On this stat, Tagliafico comes out on top again, winning 65.68% compared to Chilwell’s 57.38% over the course of all competitions this campaign.

Dribbling

In general, both right and left backs tend to make a lot of runs on the ball so dribbling skills can be an important element of their game. In this area, Chilwell is more prepared than Tagliafico to pick up the ball and run with it.

The Leicester defender averages almost double the number of dribbles (2.1) per game, compared to the Ajax fullback (1.21). However, the Argentine is more successful (68%) than his English counterpart (47.6%) in keeping possession.

Aerial Duel Success

Being strong in the air is key for a solid defensive unit, and while fullbacks tend to be weaker in this area, having some sort of aerial presence will likely save a fair number of goals, particularly from crosses into the box.

On this metric, Chilwell comes out on top by quite a distance, winning 63.25% of his aerial challenges this season, compared to Tagliafico’s 53.8%. Especially when you consider that the Leicester star plays in a more physically imposing league, the figures are all the more impressive.

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