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CHELSEA’S FORGOTTEN DEFENDER BENOîT BADIASHILE JUST PROVED HE’S STILL ELITE
Despite limited play, Badiashile's recent start proved his vital worth. His unmatched game-reading, composure, and marshalling of Chelsea's defence provided crucial control. When fit, he is a top-tier, game-changing centre-back.
There has only been one Premier League start for Benoît Badiashile this season. He made it clear in that game why he needs to start much more regularly. Although it's difficult to see why some Chelsea supporters have misgivings about the former AS Monaco defender.
Because Badiashile has been sidelined for a large portion of his time at Chelsea due to injuries, supporters have understandably become frustrated. However, when a player sustains injuries as frequently as he has, supporters tend to stop focusing on the situation and start doubting his skills.
Arriving in January 2023, he has displayed a level of game-reading that is arguably unrivalled by any Chelsea centre-back, as well as ice-cold composure on the ball and excellent timing in aerial duels.
Yes, maintaining composure while in possession can occasionally result in one or two misplaced passes, but that's just part of the danger. However, both teams found it difficult to generate clear opportunities against Liverpool, a game in which Chelsea was down for extended periods of time. Badiashile's defensive marshalling was primarily responsible for that. When necessary, he risked his life, but his efficacy went beyond courage.
Badiashile demonstrates to Chelsea supporters his peak performance.
First, the stats showed that he was calm: he completed 44 of 47 passes, including 4 of 6 long balls. Chelsea was able to control possession and free up space thanks to its distribution. He made a line-breaking pass that resulted in the Blues' first goal, which is noteworthy. Malo Gusto and Moisés Caicedo were able to concentrate more on their midfield duties as a result of his composition at the back.
His Comprehension of the game was equally remarkable. In the first half, no player made more interceptions. Additionally, he made sure the defence had little to worry about by blocking a crucial shot. That is, until he was hurt and fell.
The game's dynamic shifted when Badiashile was brought in. Chelsea lost control of important areas and was under much greater pressure. Almost ten minutes after the Frenchman exited the field, Liverpool took control of the match and scored.
Chelsea was in a dominant position because of his intellect and poise. There is a good chance that the Blues would have won in a less exciting but more comfortable manner if he had remained on the pitch.
When Badiashile first arrived, we witnessed this level. In his first three games, Chelsea maintained three straight clean sheets. Even if injuries have affected his rhythm, it's evident that he is still a top-tier centre-back.
DID LIAM ROSENIOR’S PAST AS A PUNDIT INFLUENCE HIS DEFENSIVE STRATEGY AT ARSENAL?
Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior hits back at critics after a defensive approach saw the Blues exit the Carabao Cup semi-final.
Liam Rosenior stood by his cautious approach after Chelsea couldn’t overturn their first-leg deficit against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi-final.
Down 3-2 from the first match, Chelsea never really put Arsenal under pressure at the Emirates. In the end, Kai Havertz—of all people—put the game to bed in stoppage time, scoring against his old club.
Rosenior switched things up, going with a back three and playing it safe. He wanted to keep the game close and try to push hard late on. He brought on Cole Palmer and Estevao around the 60th minute, hoping for a spark, but Chelsea still couldn’t carve out real chances. Arsenal just wouldn’t budge.
Pundits didn’t love Rosenior’s tactics and let him know it. He brushed it off. “I’ve been a pundit. It’s easy. It’s easy in hindsight,” he said. “If I go all-out and press high, we could give away two early goals, and then everyone asks what I’m thinking. That’s just how it is. Lose, and you’re hammered. Win, and you’re a genius. Usually, it’s somewhere in the middle.”
Chelsea were up against the league leaders, and with both Reece James and Pedro Neto missing due to minor injuries, Rosenior planned to hang in there and try to frustrate Arsenal—and maybe turn the mood in the stadium.
“That was the idea. You saw it,” he said. “I thought the psychological side of the tie mattered, and you could feel it in the stadium too. At 60 minutes, I brought on Cole and Estevao, and suddenly we had some moments around the box. I think people sensed this game could flip.”
It didn’t happen, though. Rosenior said he couldn’t fault his players for their effort, and in the end, Arsenal’s clinching goal came while Chelsea were throwing everything forward, desperate to turn things around.
IS JOãO PEDRO ACTUALLY BETTER THAN LIVERPOOL’S £79M HUGO EKITIKé? THE STATS REVEAL ALL
Liam Rosenior makes history as Chelsea win three in a row! Discover why João Pedro is the Premier League's best summer signing.
Since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took over Chelsea in 2022, they've been anything but quiet in the transfer market. In just three and a half years, they've signed 54 new senior players and spent well over £1 billion.
Some of these signings haven’t even made it onto the pitch for the first team—guys like Gaga Słonina, Ângelo Gabriel, Omari Kellyman, and Caleb Wiley, just to name a few. But others have really made their mark. Think Marc Cucurella, Moisés Caicedo, Enzo Fernández and, of course, Cole Palmer. Now, the question is, has one of Chelsea’s latest summer signings done enough to join that group? Is he about to become one of the Premier League’s signings of the season?
Let’s talk about Chelsea’s summer addition and what he’s bringing to the table. It’s been a great week for Liam Rosenior’s squad. On Saturday night, they were 2-0 down at halftime to West Ham at Stamford Bridge. Somehow, they turned it around and won 3-2, with Enzo Fernández scoring in stoppage time to seal it.
That win made it three league victories in a row for Rosenior. He’s now only the fourth English manager to start his Premier League career with three straight wins—joining Bobby Gould, Sam Allardyce, and Craig Shakespeare. Not bad company at all.
Just three days earlier, Chelsea booked their spot in the Champions League round of 16 after a wild 3-2 win away at Napoli. Down 2-1, João Pedro scored twice in the second half to turn the game around. The Brazilian’s goal at the weekend kicked off Chelsea’s comeback, bringing his total to 15 goals for the club—including three at the Club World Cup. So, how does he stack up against other strikers who switched clubs last summer?
Looking at the numbers, here’s how the new strikers have done since moving in the summer of 2025:
Hugo Ekitiké (Liverpool, £79m): 15 goals (10 PL, 2 UCL)
João Pedro (Chelsea, £60m): 12 goals (9 PL, 3 UCL)
Viktor Gyökeres (Arsenal, £54.8m): 11 goals (6 PL, 4 UCL)
Nick Woltemade (Man United, £69m): 9 goals (7 PL, 1 UCL)
Benjamin Šeško (Man City, £66.3m): 6 goals (5 PL)
Alexander Isak (Newcastle, £125m): 3 goals (2 PL)
Liam Delap (Spurs, £30m): 2 goals (1 PL, 1 UCL)
Only Ekitiké has scored more than João Pedro across all competitions, but Liverpool paid about £20m more for him than Chelsea paid for Pedro. In the whole Premier League, only Erling Haaland, Igor Thiago, Antoine Semenyo, and Ekitiké have more league goals than Pedro’s nine.
But stats aside, Chelsea just look more dangerous with Pedro leading the attack. Their last league defeat? He started that one on the bench at Craven Cottage. Since Rosenior took over, Pedro has started and scored in every match.
Chelsea have brought in plenty of players from Brighton during the BlueCo era, but with the way things are going, João Pedro might end up being the best of the bunch.
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