Malo Gusto’s impressive stat that Marc Cucurella doesn’t even come close to at Chelsea

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After three seasons in London, Malo Gusto is yet to score a goal, but he does dominate Chelsea defenders in a rather important statistic.

Malo Gusto has gotten some stick for his recent performances. In the Brighton defeat, his decision to hold the ball up when he was virtually through on goal had some fans livid.

Jose Mourinho singled Gusto out after the Benfica game, saying he struggled, though the stats don’t really support that claim.

Mostly, the frustration with Gusto comes from his attacking play, which is seen as inferior to other full-backs at the club, but his place in a top ten list suggests this opinion is wide of the mark.

Malo Gusto has the fifth-most assists of any Premier League defender since 23/24

The idea that Gusto isn’t dangerous on the attack is nonsense.

The tag he carries as a player who hasn’t scored a professional goal creates a biased narrative that he isn’t a threat going forward.

Gusto’s 13 assists since the start of the 2023/24 season is good enough for fifth out of all Premier League defenders, but that doesn’t even tell the whole story. He has started fewer than half of Chelsea’s games in that span.

It’s an aspect of his game that has gone completely under the radar in the face of recent criticism.

Gusto is miles ahead of his Chelsea teammates

When looking at his fellow Chelsea defenders, none come close to Gusto’s creative output.

Marc Cucurella has six assists in that span, though to his credit, he has been a real goal threat as well. Reece James has five, understandable for obvious reasons.

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But Gusto made the most of his opportunities over the past two-and-a-bit seasons. He was a standout performer in the Club World Cup final, bouncing back from an underwhelming end to the league campaign.

At just 22, there is plenty of room for growth in the Chelsea right-back. Some parts of his game definitely need improvement, none less than scoring goals, or a goal even. But he already contributes a lot to the Blues, and his influence is sure to only grow as he enters his peak years.