Conor Gallagher continues to catch the eye. The homegrown midfielder has been an ever-present in the league for us this season and has taken his game to a new level under Mauricio Pochettino. We examine how.
Let’s begin with the facts. Gallagher has started each of our 12 Premier League games so far – Thiago Silva is the only other outfielder to have done so – and he has only come off in two, the defeats to West Ham and Nottingham Forest early in the season.
Pochettino clearly places great trust in Gallagher, and he has deployed him in a variety of different roles.
Gallagher started the season alongside Enzo Fernandez in a two-man midfield in a 3-4-3. When Moises Caicedo was fit, our academy graduate lined up on the left of a midfield trio in a 4-3-3.
And, in the recent games against Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City, Gallagher was positioned centrally in the three behind the front man in a 4-2-3-1.
Whether stationed in a deeper midfield role or further up the pitch, Gallagher is having a major impact on games. No Premier League player has won possession in the final third as often as Gallagher (20), testament to his efficient and effective pressing.
His four assists – all recorded in our past five league games – is already his best figure in a top-flight season, and we are not a third of the way through it.
He is also averaging 1.6 key passes a game (those that set up a chance), up from 0.6 last season, and 1.1 during his successful loan spell at Crystal Palace in 2021/22.
That improved figure owes much to the fact Gallagher is spending plenty more time in possession. He is averaging 53.8 passes a game this season, way up from the 23.1 he played last term.
Gallagher is encouraged by Pochettino to go and find the ball, especially when he is in an advanced role, and you often see him creating overloads in different parts of the pitch.
He is now looking as comfortable receiving the ball with his back to goal as he is with open space ahead of him.
The 23-year-old’s pass completion rate is improving year on year. It is at a fantastic 90.7 per cent so far in 2023/24, up from 84.5 per cent last season, and 81.2 per cent the season before that.
Against Man City on Sunday, Gallagher completed 38 of his 40 passes. That figure is all the most impressive when you consider the frenetic nature of the contest, and the quality of the opponent. Gallagher is proving both tidy and incisive in possession.
When Enzo was replaced by Mykhailo Mudryk shortly after the hour, Gallagher dropped back to supplement Caicedo in a midfield two.
The location of his six ball recoveries (where a ball is loose or played to an opponent) highlights his influence in different parts of the pitch.
In total, Gallagher ranks fifth in the Premier League for the number of times he has won possession back (85) and leads the way at Chelsea for pressures this season (274).
Of course, Gallagher’s renowned energy and tenacity out of possession manifests itself in other areas of the game.
His 34 tackles won (at an average of 2.8 a game) is bettered by only five players in the league, while he ranks joint-third overall for interceptions (19).
