Chelsea’s offense went through multiple boom and bust cycles throughout the season. In some matches, they were blasting the ball through the net, and in others, they were hitting the ball into the stands.
The Blues scored three or more goals in six Premier League matches and were also kept scoreless in six. Five of the shutouts came after late November.
CFC was fourth-best in the league in goals scored. They were third in the league in expected goals (xG). However, they struggled with converting goal opportunities with a goal conversion rate of -5.09, one of the league’s lowest ratios.
There were several offensive standouts this season at Stamford Bridge.
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One criterion I used for these recognitions is that the player had to have played 1,250 minutes in league play.
Christian Pulisic, the only transfer allowed through during the ban, played in 1,076 minutes in the Premier League. He made solid use of his time by knocking in five goals, adding two assists, and ranked third on the squad in non-penalty xG plus expected assists per 90 minutes (npxG+xA/90).
20-year old homegrown talent Mason Mount was a significant offensive contributor. He scored six goals and earned four assists. The attacking midfielder was second in key passes, xG, non-penalty xG, shots per 90 minutes, and shots on targets per 90 minutes.
With five goals and assists, the Brazilian Willian makes a case for the top all-around offensive player. He led the team in assists, xA, key passes, and passes into the penalty area. The 30-year old also led in shot-creating actions per 90 minutes and second in goal creating actions per 90 minutes.
There is one player that is the clear Chelsea offensive player of the year.
Tammy Abraham dazzled the Stamford Bridge faithful all season by drilling athletic goals by the bagful. He notched a team-high 13 goals from an average xG per shot of 0.17. The homegrown 20-year-old also led in expected goals, goals per 90 minutes, and npxG+xA/90.
Abraham also was top in his squad in shots, shots on target, shots per 90 minutes, and shots on target per 90 minutes. He was also second in percentage of shots on target and goals per shot.
Due to the transfer ban, Chelsea chose not to loan their rising star out as they did the previous year. Abraham paid back the club’s faith in him by becoming their offensive player of the year.