Andre Schurrle: Could this rapid Chelsea winger put Newcastle to the sword?

Andre Schurrle has emerged as a key member of the Chelsea team since he moved to the club in the summer. The German winger scored his first goal for the club against Manchester City and will likely be called upon to feature against Newcastle on Saturday. The German will be integral to Chelsea’s chances to gain revenge for their defeat at St James’ Park last season.

In Chelsea’s attacking system Schurrle plays on the wide left of the advanced midfield trio. His role is to help provide some balance by providing an outlet on the left, allowing other players to perform centrally, while also trying to get in behind the opposition’s full-back.

Schurrle spends 32% of his game in an advanced left position and in Chelsea’s recent win away at Schalke in the Champions League, he barely drifted from his role as the left winger. This is critical in providing the balance, but he also provides an outlet for cross field balls, as well as being able to get in behind the full-back, although in this fixture only two of out five dribbles were successful.

Against Newcastle this will present itself as a direct battle with Newcastle’s flying full-back Mathieu Debuchy. The Frenchman scored at the weekend and is a very direct full-back who wants to raid into the opposition half and have an impact on the attacking side of the game. In Newcastle’s last victory, a 2-1 win over Cardiff, his Action Area Map illustrates the case in point.

Debuchy will want to try and get in behind Schurrle, something that may not be advisable, given that Schurrle has Ashley Cole for support. Any attempt Debuchy makes to get past Schurrle will carry the risk of the German hurting the Magpies going the other way. The Frenchman must pick and choose his battles with extreme caution, making sure whoever is deployed down the right flank ahead of him is aware of the danger too.

Going by form, Schurrle will probably get the better of Debuchy, who is not the best defensive right back in the league. Any space left behind the former Lille defender will be readily exploited by the Chelsea winger. It’s a battle which could ultimately decide what should be a fascinating contest at St James’ Park.