Football is a complex game despite the number of legendary figures who have argued the opposite over the years.
There are a wide variety of different factors which can influence proceedings on the pitch; from refereeing decisions to luck, to individual quality and everything in between, and given the low-scoring nature of the sport, surprise results materialise fairly often.
Despite the elaborate nature of the game, it can be dumbed down.
The overall objective is to score goals, which suggests that every team should want to generate shots. However, due to the size of the average football pitch, shots can only really happen once a team gets within the vicinity of the penalty box.
Those basics indicate that players who progress the ball up the field and closer to goal should be recognised as amongst the most valuable, but who does that for Chelsea?
To determine, progressive passes can be used. A progressive pass is defined as a completed pass that moves the ball towards the opponent's goal at least 10 yards from its furthest point in the last six passes, or a completed pass into the penalty box.
Below, the most progressive passer for each Premier League team this season is shown, and each player has been ranked according to the team's reliance on that player.
As captured, Mateo Kovacic is the most progressive passer at Stamford Bridge. He is responsible for 16.6% of Chelsea's progressive passes on a per-90 basis, meaning he's integral to how his team advance from A to B.
Jonjo Shelvey contributes the greatest share of his team's progressive passes with 25.9%, which suggests that Newcastle United are very reliant on his influence rather than multiple players in the team contributing equally.
Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg, by contrast, is the most progressive passer at Spurs, but his team share is just 14.9% which indicates that plenty of his teammates also chip in with their own progressive passes.
Over the past few weeks, Thomas Tuchel has been without Kovacic due to injury and somewhat unsurprisingly, the Blues have dropped points, showcasing how the former Real Madrid man is something of an unsung hero for his role in the team.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek places second in the Chelsea standings having contributed with 13.6% of his team's share and after missing out against Zenit, he is supposedly fit to face Leeds United this weekend.
Tuchel will hope to improve results at Stamford Bridge and will be looking to Kovacic on his return from injury to help solve his side's current issues on the pitch.
