Chelsea ended a frustrating four-game winless streak with a 2-0 win over Everton, and while Cole Palmer’s first goal since September got all the headlines, their standout performance came from an unexpected source.
Enzo Maresca appears to be adamant Reece James’ future is in the centre of midfield, leaving the right-back position open for someone to step in and add a different dynamic to Cheslea’s attack and defence.
Before this season, Malo Gusto hadn’t scored a single goal in his professional career, now with two and four assists, he’s come Chelsea’s secret weapon.
A standout performance against Everton
It’s not unfair to say that Gusto struggled under Maresca last season. The 22-year-old is more of a marauding fullback, running up and down the byline rather than one that likes to invert into midfield and pop up in the opposition box every now and again.
This season, something has clicked, and Gusto’s performance against Everton was the best example. Perhaps the best moment was his assist for Palmer’s opener, and what the main man did to make it happen.
Wesley Fofana had the ball, and it looked like he was about to pass it to Palmer, but instead, the England international instructed Fofana to pass it into Gusto, standing in a central position, first, and the right-back slipped in the perfect through ball.
It was likely nothing more than a way to catch the Everton defenders out, but it was also a clear indication of trust from Cheslea’s main attacking threat in a player to tee him up in the best way possible, something that wouldn’t have happened last season.
His goal was another moment that came from Gusto drifting in centrally. Pedro Neto got the better of Vitaliy Mykolenko before looking up to see who was in the box, and there was Gusto, who had timed his run diagonal run perfectly to secure the win.
Gusto’s numbers from the game were fantastic. Aside from his goal and an assist, he created two chances, made 12 passes into the opposition third, and completed four of his six long balls.
How has Gusto’s overall season been?
Chelsea’s constant rotation means Gusto has only started nine of his 14 Premier League appearances so far, playing in his most natural right-back position but also being deployed as defensive midfielder on several occasions.
His attacking numbers are good. Alongside his two goals and two assists in the Premier League, he’s exceeding he xG of 1.15 and hie surprisingly clinical considering he’s only had four shots on target from a total of seven.
Gusto still does the dirty work too, with 25 tackles, 48 duels won at a success rate of 55.5%, 15 interceptions, and 58 recoveries, so it’s not like his defensive numbers are suffering now he’s been used a little further up field.
What is been said about Gusto?
Speaking after Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Wolves, in which Gusto scored his first goal, Maresca compared Gusto’s new role to the one Marc Cucurella has had over the past couple of seasons.
“Last year, it was Cucu (Marc Cucurella) scoring goals as a full-back, and this season it can be Malo,” Maresca said.
“Malo always arrives inside the box when he is playing in the way we did tonight. He misses some goals, some chances, but it was an important goal because it gave us the 1-0 (lead) that opened up the game.”
Verdict
Chelsea may not have an Erling Haaland in their side, but what they do well is spread the goals out between their players. Each and every one of the are a goal threat at times, and Gusto’s new role has surprised many.