Sancho already a 'PROBLEM' for Chelsea

Jadon Sancho only joined Chelsea this summer but people are already questioning his value.

Tony Cascarino, who played for the Blues in the early 90's, has written a column in The Times where he opines that Jadon Sancho is far too easy to play against.

"Sancho is not slow but he doesn’t have that burst of acceleration to get at defenders," said Cascarino. Focusing on the English winger's lackadaisical style of play.

Cascarino compared Sancho negatively to Noni Madueke who played on the other wing for Chelsea, saying "he was going at his full back all game, and it always felt like a battle for Forest to contain him."

He then compared Sancho to some modern greats, "Cristiano Ronaldo, Eden Hazard, Gareth Bale and the other best wingers of recent times at the biggest teams in the Premier League have always wanted to overwhelm the full back marking them, using power and speed to beat them physically."

It's a strange case to make as Sancho is very obviously a different kind of winger to those more direct types, something Cascarino acknowledges himself later in the piece.

"I appreciate that not every winger has to play the same way to be a success, and Sancho caused Forest problems at times with his positioning and how he played on the ball, but I was just left wanting more from him. He’s 24 and mature, he’s no teenager anymore."

Sancho has started his Chelsea career in fine form, with three assists in his first three Premier League games. He's looked bright and inventive as the Blues won three straight games.

But Forest held them to a draw, and Sancho is an easy target for criticism after a negative result because he doesn't sprint or charge at his man, hence Cascarino's column and many, many Man Utd fans on social media laughing at Sancho's expense that criticism has started after "just" four games.

But is it all fair?

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Was Jadon Sancho a 'problem' against Nottingham Forest?

Sancho played 90 minutes against Nottingham Forest. He started the game and was subbed off near the end, being replaced by Mykhalo Mudryk.

Sancho had three key passes against Forest, the same as Madueke. He also completed the same number of dribbles (three) at a high success rate (3/3 vs. Madueke's 3/5).

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Moreover, while he did not get a goal or assist, he was a crucial part of Chelsea's equalising goal. He was involved in the build-up including playing the "pre-assist" pass to Cole Palmer, but while Madueke's effort was a solo dribble and strike, the shot only went in because Sancho, going against the lackadaisical portrait Cascarino has painted of him, actually made a diagonal run into the box, dragging Ryan Yates with him.

Madueke's shot then rolls just behind Sancho and Yates, leaving Matz Sels unsighted in the Forest goal. As a result Selz reacts late to a tame shot from Madueke and it hits the back of the net when, if Sancho had not made the run, he would have saved it easily.

Maybe he didn't sprint enough for Tony Cascarino's liking, but Jadon Sancho made a big impact on Chelsea's draw with Nottingham Forest.