A remarkable statistic has emerged showing that Maurizio Sarri has overlooked one of Chelsea’s most effective attacking partnerships this season.
This stat comes via Daniel Storey, who has tweeted that Eden Hazard has scored more than half of his goals this season when Olivier Giroud has also been on the pitch with him.
Eden Hazard has scored 59% of his goals this season when Olivier Giroud has been on the pitch. They've only started nine games together.
— Daniel Storey (@danielstorey85) April 4, 2019
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Bizarrely enough, however, Sarri has barely used them as a partnership, with the pair only playing up front together on nine occasions from the start of a game.
Giroud is arguably one of Chelsea’s most under-rated players, with the France international often so effective at using his height, physique and technical ability to link up play brilliantly from centre-forward.
In a classic big-man-little-man combo, it makes sense that he and Hazard would work well as a partnership, so it remains to be seen why Sarri is so reluctant to use it.
Gonzalo Higuain has played a lot without impressing since joining Chelsea on loan in January, while Alvaro Morata was largely first choice before that despite struggling badly at Stamford Bridge before himself being loaned out to Atletico Madrid in the last transfer window.
Could the real answer to Chelsea’s attacking struggles actually be right under Sarri’s nose?