Chelsea have been linked with Josko Gvardiol over the past few transfer windows and his impressive World Cup form has left fans urging Boehly to bring him in.
Gvardiol is more than just a defender and his stats reveal that. He does a number of things other on the ball that makes him so valuable as a player.
Gvardiol is an amazing dribbler. With slightly over one completed take-on per game, he is the best centre-back at dribbling across the top 5 leagues. This means that he can find his way out when the opponent uses pressing; he also gives Chelsea an extra option in build-up as modern centre-backs are not about defending only.
Gvardiol is an intense passer. Not only is he in the absolute top tier for the number of passes he attempts from the defence,he also ranks in the top 95th percentile for progressive passes, meaning a lot of his passes move the ball up the pitch. He's currently the third best in Bundesliga for this component -- last season he was fourth best.
Gvardiol creates chances. A further proof that his dribbling and passing are useful is how often they lead to shots. That’s also because he ventures forward and, gravitating towards the left flank as his heatmap shows:
Stats such as tackles, blocks, clearances and aerials won, which are normally highlighted for defenders, may not look too good for Gvardiol but that is just an indicator of his style of play and not necessarily his weaknesses.
His rate of interceptions, with 1.68 per game is quite good. Gvardiol is calm, calculated center-back that prefers to read the game and make good decisions, rather than lunge into tackles and find himself caught out of position.
