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Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall: How Does He Fit in at Chelsea?

August 16, 2024
Player Analysis, Transfer Analysis, Premier League Analysis

It has been nothing short of a meteoric rise for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Nottingham-born midfielder began his career in Leicester’s academy in 2017 before making his first move on loan to Blackpool in the 2019/2020 season, registering 5 goal contributions in his first 10 games of senior men’s football and immediately standing out as a bright young talent. After his successful loan spell with Blackpool, he got a move to Luton Town, where he stood out as a key player for the Hatters in their respectable 12th placed finish, where he netted 3 goals and 6 assists and was pivotal to how Luton wanted to play.

 

Following his big breakthrough in the 2020/2021 season, he was rewarded by becoming a regular first team player for Leicester in the Premier League, also playing 11 games in European competitions. Since this season, he hasn’t looked back once and has been rapidly improving season by season, becoming a more well-rounded box-to-box midfielder, being Leicester’s most key player.

 

 

Dewsbury-Hall had his biggest breakthrough last season in the 23-24 season where he managed to accumulate 26 goal contributions from the midfield, almost tripling his best ever season for goal contributions. He was Leicester’s 2nd top scorer, with the most assists as well. Which made him a no brainer of a signing when newly appointed Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca left Leicester City to join Chelsea.

 

Who is Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall?

 

Dewsbury-Hall is an aggressive box-to-box midfielder who likes to win the ball back quickly and drive with the ball, take on opposition players to try and create goalscoring opportunities, be it for himself or his teammates. He has fantastic knowledge, vision and an expansive passing range, making him extremely dangerous in and around the box as he has technical excellence and is extremely unpredictable.

 

Having had his best season under Enzo Maresca last season, he understands what is expected of him and the style of play that Enzo wants to implement into Chelsea and will play a key figure in the side, leading by example and helping the players around him understand what is needed from them to maximise the team’s performance. He has played 179 senior games in his career, with 59 of those coming in the Premier League.

 

 

Last season, Leicester averaged 62.1% possession, which was the 2nd highest in the division and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was a big part to play in this. His high energy levels and aggression out of possession helped Leicester to win the ball back as quickly as they could, regaining possession and hitting teams on the counter.

 

He liked to drive with ball and link up play with Vardy, leaving space in behind for wingers to run into. Dewsbury-Hall was a versatile option for Enzo Maresca and played in several different roles throughout individual games, sometimes playing as a deep-lying playmaker, trying to slow down/speed up the game as and when it needed it and his ability to know when they needed to do it was a massive help for Leicester to dictate and control the flow of the game and play how they want to, rather than having to adapt mid game.

 

Dewsbury-Hall created the 3rd most big chances last season in the entirety of the championship with a lot of these big chances coming from playing balls through gaps in the opposition defensive line to Abdul Fatawu and Stephy Mavididi coming inside to meet it. He also won the ball back in the final third more times than anyone else in the League last season. These two statistics alone prove his aggression in and out of possession and his desire to do exactly what Maresca needs from him as a box-to-box midfielder.

 

 

Last season, Dewsbury-Hall adapted his playing style slightly and tried to score a variety of different goals, one being making late runs into the box to catch the opposition off guard. Doing this has led him to score 4 goals in and around the 6-yard box this season, whereas beforehand he had never scored with his head. It was clear that Maresca rated him highly and had high expectations, and it’s safe to say that he absolutely lived up to them.

 

Enzo Maresca – Playing Style

 

In possession 

 

Enzo Maresca likes to take a modern approach when in possession. Leicester tended to play out from the back, by being deep, playing short, quick passes to beat the first line of press, if the opposition side aren’t pressing high, they tend to gradually get higher and try to trigger the press, to then exploit the space and drive forward with the ball.

 

The goalkeeper (Mads Hermansen) needs to be extremely comfortable with the ball in his feet and play a crucial role in Maresca’s system by playing high and only slightly deeper than the 2 centre halves, with left back (James Justin) coming across to create a back 3 and utilise the keeper to gain an overload at the back while in possession, with the right back (Ricardo Pereira) coming inside to create a double pivot of deep-lying playmakers with Harry Winks, which allowed the 2 8’s (Dewsbury-Hall and Wilfried Ndidi) to push on into the half spaces and play as more of wide 10’s, now allowing them to have an overload in attack and defence.

 

 

While in possession Leicester consistently transitioned into a 1-3-2-5, with an emphasis on overloading the attacking areas, creating space and gaps to play into, leading to big chances being created. Maresca likes his wingers to stay high and wide, to allow space to open up in the centre of the field, which then allowed Dewsbury-Hall and Ndidi to have more space to attack, which is why Dewsbury-Hall excels in the Enzo Maresca system.

 

However, by Isolating wingers wide against the opposition full back, it will allow the likes of Noni Madueke/Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling/Mykhailo Mudryk to be direct and run at them, which is what they specialise in and can be dangerous, leading to crosses into the box, cut backs or cutting inside to shoot or lay it off to another teammate. Maresca likes his centre-forward to have lots of energy and try to bring defenders with him, leading gaps for through balls or space to drive into and penetrate the defensive line.

 

Euro 2024 winner Marc Cucurella could be pivotal in Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea this season, as an inverted full back, doing the James Justin role forming a back 3 in possession, while able to step up and even make late runs forward towards the box, which we saw Cucurella perform magnificently in the euros and will get him playing in his strongest position and role.

 

Maresca wants to get his side playing possession-based football, whilst still playing quick, fluid, high risk passes to break the opposition lines and get the ball into the attacking phase as quickly as possible, making it as hard as they can for opposition teams to defend it, disrupting the opposition, forcing them to make quick, sharp decisions. 

 

 

Out of possession

 

While out of possession, Maresca’s side defend in a 4-5-1 shape, however in transition they do look to try and counter press to win the ball back quickly and high, so often when they lost the ball in the final third, Leicester would press in a 4-1-4-1, with the 2 central midfielders (Dewsbury-Hall and Ndidi) pressing high with the 2 wingers. His aim is to win possession of the ball back or cut off passing lanes, forcing them backwards and lose their momentum.

 

Leicester’s press starts with Jamie Vardy waiting for the trigger, where he would then apply pressure to the player with the ball, with the 2 wingers marking the opposition full back tightly, while Dewsbury-Hall and Ndidi marking the 2 8’s, forcing the opposition to play long balls over the top.

 

However, if they don’t manage to win the ball back for a period of time, then they drop back into a 4-5-1 shape, keeping narrow at the back and packing out the midfield, making it difficult for the opposition to break through. Leicester remain patient, allowing the side to hold possession, until they see an opportunity to snatch the ball and counter. A key part of his defensive plan is to be patient and wait until there is an opportunity to pounce.

 

How does Dewsbury-Hall fit into his system?

 

Last season Chelsea struggled massively when it came to having a creative presence in the midfield, with the majority of their chances coming from wide areas. This was a massive issue last season for Chelsea as teams recognised this and penalised them by isolating the wingers, forcing them to go into the centre of the pitch as there was a much less chance of them scoring due to the lack of creativity.

 

However, now that Dewsbury-Hall has joined Chelsea, it now makes it far more difficult for teams to defend and now have to make a big decision as he’s unpredictable and there are endless possibilities for what he could do. He will help Chelsea maintain possession by recognising hoe the game is going, and dictate the flow of the game, depending on how it’s going. He’s a hard-working midfielder who will attempt to win the ball back high and recover when needed. He understands the shape and positional play and can help others during games early on when players are still adapting to the new style.

 

Is He an Improvement on Gallagher?

 

Conor Gallagher and Dewsbury-Hall are both box-to-box midfielders, however both are extremely different types of players, but which one is best for Maresca’s system? Gallagher is a more defensive box-to-box midfielder who is aggressive In the tackle and likes to win the ball back in his own half and be direct and make explosive runs forward with the ball, dragging players out of position, opening up space for other players to run into.

 

 

When having the ball in his feet, he stays composed and looks for the best passing option, and his decision making is incredible. Ideally, the midfield 3 for Chelsea would be Gallagher and Dewsbury-Hall as the 8’s with Enzo Fernandez playing as the deep-lying 6, however that cannot be the case, so who is better?

 

One issue with Gallagher at Chelsea was that he didn’t dictate the game well enough, and it caused Chelsea to lose any kind of control in game that needed it. Whereas Dewsbury-Hall brings a more controlled approach and tries to keep possession, while still being aggressive and trying to drive the ball up the pitch.

 

Dewsbury-Hall would be the most creative midfielder in the Chelsea side and will help them have more creative players on the pitch and allow other players to play in their correct roles. One of Nicolas Jackson’s greatest strengths is his ability to use his pace and anticipation to get in behind the defensive line, however last season he didn’t get as many chances to do this as there was never any creativity in the midfield, therefore not often did he have a player who could give him passes to unlock the oppositions defence.

 

What does this provide for his teammates?

 

Enzo Fernandez

 

The addition of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall for Chelsea allows Enzo Fernandez to be able to get further forward and play as the right 10 in the attacking system that Maresca wants to implement. Previously Enzo has struggled when going forward for Chelsea because he has never had the chance to play alongside a 10 who creates chances and takes risks in the final third, therefore now he has another creative passing option and isn’t trying to force it into marked wingers or going backwards.

 

 

For Chelsea last season, Fernandez was stuck playing in the double pivot, without much freedom or licence to go forward which restricted his chance to show the more creative side of his game. With Chelsea having 2, progressive midfielders who like to dictate the tempo of the game, It will give them far more control in games and allow them to play the style of football that Maresca is craving. I believe Fernandez having Dewsbury-Hall beside him could be a huge benefit to Chelsea and himself this season and we will see him justify his £107 million price tag.

 

Moises Caicedo

 

While I believe Enzo Fernandez will flourish in this system, I’m unsure on how Moises Caicedo will cope. In his first season in the Premier League, he made the second most tackles in the entirety of the division, showing his ability to be able to win the ball back. He likes to press high and aggressively; however this could be an issue as he will be a sitting 8 and will have a very disciplined role, sitting just beyond the defensive line, looking to cut out any loose balls and regain possession.

 

Whereas his best season came from having freedom and being able to express himself by counter pressing. If he tries to counter press in Maresca’s system, we could see big gaps and space open up in the middle of the pitch, making it easier to penetrate into a dangerous area. But if Caicedo can refine his game and adapt to how Maresca will want him to play, he could be a really important player for the side, helping to win the ball back by being aggressive and trying to cut out passes as well as being strong in the tackle to regain possession and progress the ball into the more creative midfielders who will then look to carve out goalscoring opportunities for the side.

 

By: Cain Lowe / @Cainl0we

Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Stephen White – CameraSport

 

 

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