When Mateo Kovacic signed for Chelsea, there was a feeling he might not realize success in his area of expertise right from the very start, after struggling to find a place at the heart of the Real Madrid squad that was so strong in recent years, but his early minutes in English football have shown that maybe we were being a little pessimistic.
The Croatia midfielder is currently finding his feet at Chelsea under Maurizio Sarri after signing from Real Madrid in a one-year loan deal. He had to wait until Chelsea’s third game of the season, their second in the Premier League, before making his debut – and what a debut that was against Arsenal.
Against one of the Blues direct title rivals, Kovacic was thrown into the action in the second half, when the score was locked at 2-2. He did not score or grab an assist but his midfield display, especially his offensive work, was impressive.
BT Sport put together his passing success on the pitch against Unai Emery’s men.
43 passes attempted
43 passes completedMateo Kovacic completed 100% of his passes after coming on against Arsenal. Fantastic debut 👌 #BTSportScore pic.twitter.com/h2xjIVvQQk
— BT Sport Score (@btsportscore) August 18, 2018
He completed 100% tackle attempts as well as completing a perfect run of take ons on his debut.
Mateo Kovačić vs. Arsenal:
• 100% take-ons completed
• 100% pass accuracy
• 100% tackles won— Squawka (@Squawka) August 18, 2018
If this is the beginning of Kovacic’s adventure in London, we can certainly not wait until he fully finds his feet under Sarri.
