Chelsea FC’s newest signings Romelu Lukaku and Juan Mata made their respective debuts for the club in Saturday’s home match against Norwich City. Mata came on for Malouda in the 68th minute and Romelu Lukaku came on for Fernando Torres just as Frank Lampard had scored to give the Blues a 2-1 lead in the 83rd minute. Both players are recent signings, Mata from Valencia CF and Lukaku from Anderlecht FC, and both players came on to make an instant impact.
Looking at the stats, Mata and Lukaku’s passing percentages are arguably the greatest statistics on the page. Lukaku with a percentage of 90% and Mata with a percentage of 93% after making 28 passes. The two also got 2 shots off, 1 on and the other off target for both players. Possession wise, Mata’s figures were fine winning 2 of 2 possession duels and not encountering any aerial duels but Lukaku’s figures were less impressive, losing all 6 possession duels and both aerial duels. However, that’s really the only negative figure that the two put up.
Mata came on and the field instantly opened up, with more passing going on and more chances created. Mata’s tactical substitution for Florent Malouda was a good move from AVB, proving so when Mata swept in to put the final nail in the coffin, scoring his debut goal in the 101st minute, just 33 minutes after the player had come on.
Lukaku’s strength was unmatched by Norwich defenders, despite what the possession duels claim. His presence with the ball was on unbeatable. He may not have scored a goal in his debut, but he looked more impressive in 20 minutes than Fernando Torres looked all game.
If AVB was even smarter than it seems, Lukaku and Mata would be in the starting lineup of the next game to see what can be produced. Look for these two players to become instant stars in the next few appearances for Chelsea FC.
