Who was Chelsea’s first-choice penalty taker in 2017/18?

This article looks back at Chelsea’s set-piece options during the 2017/18 season, when Antonio Conte’s side featured Eden Hazard, Cesc Fàbregas, Willian and Marcos Alonso.

Chelsea were awarded only four penalties during the course of the 2016/17 Premier League season, with Eden Hazard scoring two from three while Diego Costa missed the other.

Antonio Conte would have been disappointed that his side were awarded so few spot-kicks, but the Blues more than made up for it with the quality of their set pieces.

In fact, this was one of the areas where they stole a march on their title rivals, perhaps even helping to swing the title race in their favour. Chelsea scored 22 times and conceded seven from set-piece situations for a goal difference of +15. By comparison, their two closest rivals, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, recorded set-piece goal differences of +6 and +2 respectively.

A lack of involvement in European club competition may have given Chelsea more time on the training ground to fine-tune the attacking and defensive aspects of their dead-ball situations. If so, it proved to be time well spent.

During this period, Hazard remained Chelsea’s principal penalty taker, with Willian and Cesc Fàbregas among the alternatives. Olivier Giroud, who joined Chelsea from Arsenal in January 2018, provided another experienced option.

Who took Chelsea’s corners and direct free-kicks?

Chelsea possessed several accomplished dead-ball specialists.

Marcos Alonso emerged as one of the standout defensive selections in Fantasy Premier League thanks to his attacking wing-back role. His ability to take direct free-kicks from suitable positions added another dimension to his fantasy appeal.

Willian was another major threat from direct free-kicks, while Hazard, Fàbregas and David Luiz could also become involved in dead-ball situations.

The departure of John Terry had changed Chelsea’s aerial options from corners, while Gary Cahill was no longer guaranteed to start every match. Giroud’s aerial ability nevertheless gave Conte another significant weapon whenever the French striker was selected.

Players such as Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rüdiger also offered Chelsea an aerial presence from attacking set pieces.

Editor’s note: This article was originally produced as a Chelsea set-piece guide for the 2017/18 season. The original table of penalty, free-kick and corner takers is no longer available following a later website migration. The article has been retained as part of the Fantasy Sports Portal archive and should not be interpreted as a guide to Chelsea’s current set-piece takers.