Mario Pasalic wheeled away having scored the opening goal of Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain.
For a time, there was hope that Pasalic would thrive in the blue of Chelsea, but it is in the blue and black of Atalanta that he has found a perfect home.
The Croatian international first moved to Stamford Bridge from Hajduk Split in 2014, but he failed to make a single competitive appearance for the Blues before finally joining Atalanta permanently last month. Work permits were an issue, but that hasn’t stopped him making a success of things in Italy.
“I am a central midfielder, my favourite player is Frank Lampard, and so I am very happy to be a Chelsea player,” he said after joining the Blues in 2014.
And even though his goal in Lisbon ultimately couldn’t prevent PSG running out 2-1 winners, the strike has left Chelsea fans asking: what if?
That sense of uncertainty surrounds almost every outgoing transfer of a young player who goes on to thrive elsewhere. What was missing? Could he have thrived if he was given more time?
Looking at the numbers for this season it’s easy to see why there is a tinge of regret attached to Pasalic’s departure. The 25-year-old has the third-highest xG among central midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues who have played a minimum of 1014 minutes this season (8.97).
His four assists in Serie A put him in the top five (shared with six other players) this season, while his goal conversion rate (17.308%) among central midfielders with a minimum of 1,000 league minutes sees him fifth-highest in Serie A.
His passing numbers also make for good reading. His forward pass accuracy (86.87%) is the third-best in Serie A among central midfielders in 2019/20. In comparison, the accuracy of his passes into the penalty area (66.67%) puts him seventh among Serie A central midfielders who have played 1,000 minutes this season.
Interestingly, Pasalic’s time in Bergamo has seen him used in a variety of positions by Gian Piero Gasperini, including defensive midfield, central midfield, attacking midfield and even striker. The latter is a by-product of his aerial ability, with two of his nine goals this season coming via headers.
It’s best to describe Pasalic as a box-to-box midfielder. For that reason, he is fairly well rounded, but that also means he does not have one standout characteristic.
For example, let’s look at his most recent assist in Serie A against Lecce in March. Pasalic moved into the space created when the left-back engaged Hans Hateboer out wide. He realised the pass wasn’t on but stayed in that area.
Antonin Barak abandoned Pasalic and engaged Josip Ilicic which created the space for Ilicic to slide Pasalic in behind. From there he squared it to Duvan Zapata and Atlanta grabbed their fourth goal of the afternoon.
The fact Pasalic recorded an assist is more a product of the system Gasperini has created rather than any individual brilliance on the part of the Croatian. That’s not to downplay his role in the move, but more to define his influence accurately.
Pasalic is a good athlete with a selfless attitude who gives Atalanta a goal-scoring threat from midfield. His ability to find dangerous pockets of space in the final third makes him beneficial to the side.
Overall, while it might be tempting to try and bring Pasalic back to Stamford Bridge, Chelsea don’t really need him right now - and the player himself would be best served by staying put.
The 25-year-old has found a unique system for his skill-set at Atlanta, with Gasperini requiring an all-rounder who can follow instructions.
Lampard’s Chelsea remain a work in progress, and throwing Pasalic in there and expecting the same output would likely frustrate everyone involved.
