Chelsea’s season is over, and it’s interesting to look back at the stats of a ruinous year.
We’ve look at some of the important ones – how about some of the more obscure ones?
We note for example that Conor Gallagher got 14 yellow cards this season. That’s miles clear of joint second placed Mateo Kovacic and Kalidou Koulibaly, who both have 10.
What is even more amazing is that Gallagher’s 14 cards came in just 2035 minutes of football – which works out at 22.6 90 minute games.
This means he’s averaging 62% of a card per game. Over the course of a full 38 game Premier League season he would pick up 24 cards according to that average – which would shatter the existing record of 14.
He will have to work on his discipline, of course. No good manager wants to see crazy stats like that, even though Conor’s energy and enthusiasm is vital for his role in the team.
Gallagher’s YC tally isn’t solely about rash decisions. It’s also a direct result of lapses in concentration in which he finds himself either out of position or losing the ball in bad areas. He frequently tries to correct his errors with fouls (that is, when they don’t lead directly to goal-scoring opportunities for the opponent.
Bottom line as far as I’m concerned is he doesn’t have the discipline and positional awareness to be a top-drawer #8 and there are far more talented #10s. We could keep him as a squad player to provide cover at either position, but we should sell if made a sizable offer.