How Reece James and Ben Chilwell are Chelsea's key men in attack

They’ve got more goals than Mbappe and Messi combined and are dominating all the shooting stats… how Reece James and Ben Chilwell have become unlikely key attackers for Chelsea under Thomas Tuchel this term

  • Chelsea defenders Reece James and Ben Chilwell are key attackers this season
  • The wing-back pair have seven goals in total already for the league leaders
  • James and Chilwell’s goal tally is higher than Mbappe and Messi’s total at PSG
  • Sportsmail looks at how Thomas Tuchel has got the England defenders firing 

Any pre-season predictions that Romelu Lukaku would fire Chelsea to the Premier League title now look very wide of the mark. In fact, wide on both sides.

Nobody expected Reece James and Ben Chilwell to be the Blues’ biggest goal threat this season, especially given how well Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso finished last season. 

But after ten games, Chelsea sit top of the Premier League – and their top goal scorers are the wing-backs that Gareth Southgate shunned while playing a back five during Euro 2020. 

Reece James (left) and Ben Chilwell (right) are two of Chelsea’s biggest goal threats this term

The Blues duo have scored seven times between them – more than Mbappe and Messi at PSG

The two Chelsea defenders have seven goals between them this season, which is more than the combined rates of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe at PSG – and is already more goals than Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson managed during Liverpool’s title-winning season in 2020.  

But while those statistics are striking, this is no fluke: James and Chilwell are playing like strikers at the very top of their game. 

The defenders have the best minutes-per-goal and shooting accuracy rates out of any Chelsea player with more than two goals this season.

From an Expected Goals point of view, the two Chelsea and England stars are both in the top five for highest individual Premier League xG rates from open play, but have scored seven goals from a combined 1.4 xG, showing how impressive their finishing is. 

Another striking trend is where the duo scored their goals from. All four of James’ strikes this season have come from exactly the same place in the penalty box this season – to the right of the goal with a difficult angle. Each and every time.  

Chilwell has more variation as to where his goals are coming from. While some are from a similar area to where James shoots, just on the other side of the box, the left wing-back has appeared more centrally for goals against Southampton and Brentford.

That is mainly due to the fact Chelsea have played a more natural winger on the left-hand side in recent weeks, whether it be Timo Werner or Callum Hudson-Odoi, the latter playing pivotal roles in several Chelsea goals in recent wins over Norwich and Newcastle. 

James’ goals have come from the same part of the penalty area – on the right at a tight angle

Chilwell has been more central in his goalscoring exploits, including scoring one at Brentford

When Hudson-Odoi, who scored one and assisted another from a wide left zone against Norwich before effectively setting up another for Chelsea’s first at St James’ Park, adopts a wider role, Tuchel instructs Chilwell to come inside and take up a central role in the box. 

WING-BACK SHOOTING STATS 

Reece James at Chelsea

Shots per 90 21/22 (so far): 2.20

Shots per 90 20/21: 1.37

Shots per 90 19/20: 1.07 

Ben Chilwell at Chelsea

Shots per 90 21/22 (so far): 1.75

Shots per 90 20/21: 1.06 

When asked about his wing-back philosophy after the Newcastle victory, Tuchel said: ‘If there is a winger pinning wide or waiting wide, then he (James or Chilwell) is absolutely allowed to attack the half space (inside the pitch) from wing-back.’

James and Chilwell have already managed more shots on target this season than they have in previous Stamford Bridge seasons. That is because Tuchel needs them to hold high and wide positions in the penalty area to increase Chelsea’s chances of scoring from crosses.

‘We have players in all the spaces where we want to be dangerous,’ Tuchel added over the weekend. ‘We also need the wing-backs to arrive in the box at the end of our attacks to increase the chance of scoring or creating goal chances.’ 

But more interesting is that all of the wing-backs’ goals this season have come from quick transitions from one side to another very quickly. One wing-back tends to give the ball to a central midfielder, who then releases the opposite wing-back for a shot at goal.

James and Chilwell (right and second right) benefit from central players giving them the ball

Thomas Tuchel says he sees no reason to change his emphasis on wing-backs getting forward

Most of Chelsea’s goals this season, most notably away at Arsenal and in home games against Norwich and Southampton, came via this method. And it is therefore no surprise that three out of Chelsea’s top four assist-makers this season are central attacking midfielders – Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount.

Tuchel also made reference to the sacrifices his midfielders and strikers make to allow the wide men to score – and even joked that he may put his forwards at wing-backs from now on, hinting at how much joy his wide players get in front of goal compared to the central players.

The German rather bullishly added: ‘Sometimes our strikers are sacrificing to create chances and spaces for the others, it will always be like this.’ 

Tuchel’s blueprint is here to stay, and while strikers tend to get centre stage in the modern game, it’s those waiting in the wings who are getting the best lines in Chelsea’s entertaining Premier League spectacle. 




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