Chelsea’s trip to Blackburn last week was the final straw for many Fantasy managers. Week after week, we’d endured the defensive failings of Jose Bosingwa in the hope that his attacking returns would prove dividend but a place on the bench at Ewood Park prompted plenty to jump ship.
With clean sheets a rarity almost right across the board, Bosingwa’s forward raids always offered hope. A goal, a couple of assists and 7 bonus points early on kick-started a bandwagon that added 0.8 to his 5.5 starting price but as the gameweeks passed, his returns diminished. No clean sheet since the season opener at Stoke, 10 points in his previous seven appearances, part of a back-four that were swept aside at home by a ruthless Arsenal performance- the wheels had fallen off in spectacular fashion.
Saturday’s game certainly suggests the Portuguese player is no longer a first-choice pick. It seems as if Andre Villas-Boas has come to the same conclusion as the likes of Carlo Ancelotti before him- Bosingwa, for all his attacking merits, weakens the Blues back-four considerably. Branislav Ivanovic moved from the centre to take over- the Serb excelled at right-back last season, producing 4 goals and 5 assists compared to Ashley Cole’s zero goals and 5 assists on the opposite flank.
The installation of Ivanovic at full-back proved an instant success- an assist, clean sheet and 2 bonus points returned 11 Fantasy points and more than doubled his points haul for the season. Bosingwa owners are now on red alert and with a two-week international break now upon on, he’s already slipped in price as the “Transfers Out” rack up.
We take a look at both players’ performances at right-back in the previous two games to ascertain the difference in their respective contributions:
Average Positions
A look at the Chelsea average positions from each game shows Bosingwa (17 above) pushed up slightly higher than Ashley Cole (3) on the opposite flank against Arsenal, with John Obi Mikel (12) in a deep position similar to the left-back’s. While Cole and John Terry (26) stayed close together on the left, the gap between Bosingwa and Ivanovic (2) at centre-half was far greater, with Bosingwa’s forward runs leaving Chelsea exposed all-too-often.
While the Blackburn game (below) shows Ivanovic (2) virtually as high up as Bosingwa was against Arsenal, everything is relative. Here, Mikel (12) is level with the Serb and is closer to Ramires (7) than he was against Arsenal. On the opposite flank, Cole (3) is pushed up far higher than the previous game, as is Frank Lampard (8), with Chelsea using the left flank to better effect this time round.
Passing
A comparison of each player’s passing in the respective games is perhaps surprising. Bosingwa made a total of 47 passes against the Gunners, while Ivanovic produced 63 at Blackburn but 17% of Bosingwa’s came in the defensive third compared to just 7% of Ivanovic’s- with the latter far more defensively secure, you’d perhaps expect it to be the other way around.
Going forward, too, there’s an unexpected outcome- 36% of Ivanovic’s distribution came in the final third, compared to just 21% of Bosingwa’s- as a result, he bettered the Portuguese star’s crosses (5 to 3) and produced double the number of goalscoring chances. Bosingwa’s tendency to drift inside is highlighted by 24% of his passes coming from a more central position, whereas Ivanovic’s greater positioning offers better balance and maintains the team’s shape- only 7% of his distribution was away from the flank, with 2% coming from a corner.
A look at each player’s “Preferred Passing” offers a perfect insight into their respective mind-sets. Against Arsenal, John Obi-Mikel linked up with Bosingwa the least of any of the Blues back-four; he received 7 passes and played 4 to the right-back whereas against Blackburn, Ivanovic interacted with Mikel more than any Chelsea defender, playing 11 passes and receiving 15.
Bosingwa’s attacking outlook saw him make only 1 less pass to Ramires, in the right midfield role, than he played to Mikel- Ivanovic, on the other hand, made just 4 passes to Ramires in comparison to his 11 to Mikel, a clear example of his more cautious approach.
Tackling
The best illustration of each player’s contribution to the Chelsea cause is shown by the number of and, critically, position on the pitch of each of their tackles in the respective games. The comparison highlights the flaws in Bosingwa’s game- he made 10 tackles against Arsenal but only 3 of them came in his own half. Ivanovic’s instant solidity on the right flank and reading of the game is summed up perfectly in the above diagram- he made 14 tackles, with only 3 in the opposition half.
Shots Conceded
Chelsea conceded 13 shots against Arsenal and 12 against Blackburn. Looking at the stats alone, it seems like there was little defensive improvement but closer examination as to where the shots arrived from, shows a substantial difference. At home to the Gunners, Villas-Boas’ side were ripped apart- 12 of those shots were inside the box, with just 1 outside their own penalty box. Away at Blackburn, only 4 of Rovers’ attempts were inside the box, with 8 of the host side’s efforts from distance in comparison.
Clearly, the step up in solidity was marked. Unfortunately for Bosingwa and his Fantasy owners, given the thorough and analytically sharp mind of Villas-Boas, it seems highly unlikely that this will have gone un-noticed.
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