Chukwueze’s mazy dribbles have wowed Villarreal CF fans all season, as he has completed 3.47 successful take-ons per 90 minutes in this La Liga Santander campaign. This is the most of any player with more than 1,000 minutes played, trailing only Vinicius Junior, who averages 3.26.
Chukwueze is not only capable of bringing the ball forward and breaking lines, but he is also decisive in the final third. He is having his finest season in terms of direct goal contributions, with 13 goals and 11 assists in all competitions so far, with six of those goals and five of the assists coming in La Liga Santander.
Prior to 2022/23, Chukwueze’s highest direct goal contribution total was 13 in 2020/21, when he scored five goals and assisted on eight others.
Chukwueze has progressed to the next level with new Villarreal CF coach Quique Setien. Eleven of his goals and seven of his assists have come in the current manager’s 24 games, compared to two goals and four assists in Unai Emery’s 16 outings this season.
Setien’s Villarreal CF prefers to dominate possession and control the ball, but they rely on line-breakers like Chukwueze to turn this into points. It’s a winning mix, and every Villarreal CF player knows to look for the Nigerian anytime the game has to be sped up.
