Hazard comparisons ridiculous – but Sancho could shine at Chelsea because of this tactical reason | OneFootball

We enjoyed Jadon Sancho’s performance on Saturday as much as anyone. Considering it was his debut it was a bright start – he threatened down the left hand side right from the off, and immediately created more problems for Bournemouth than Pedro Neto had in the first period. He later picked up the assist for the winning goal with a jabbed pass into Christopher Nkunku – although the Frenchman deserves most of the credit for making something for nothing.

Overall it was a really bright start from Sancho and we’re keen to see more. But we’re not quite sure why it’s being treated as anything more than that.

Just look at the full highlights of the winger from the game, as posted by Chelsea themselves:

Great work down the left wing, some nice interplay with Marc Cucurella, a tasty nutmeg and some penetration into the box. A really promising start – but honestly, are we at the stage of Eden Hazard comparisons yet? Let’s take a deep breath now.

Sancho given the breathing room he needs

That piece comparing Sancho to the great Belgian at the Athletic does make one good point – this was a game where Bournemouth totally committed to stopping Cole Palmer and Noni Madueke down the left hand side. They did so very successfully – it was the first game this season where neither player made any impact.

But putting all their eggs in that basket made space down their right, and while Neto wasn’t able to exploit it, Sancho was. What’s really notable in the highlights above is how often he’s getting the chance to attack his full back one on one.

For as long as teams have to put their resources on the other side, Sancho can thrive. He’s not the most explosive player, so he needs that extra space, but when he’s given it, he can really hurt teams. Of course, Eden Hazard did his thing while the entire opposition team were tasked with stopping him – only when Sancho can manage that can we compare them.

(Top image by Michael Steele/Getty Images)