How does Jelena Čanković fit in at Chelsea?
Serbian midfielder seems to be the ideal replacement for Ji So-Yun
Reports in Sweden suggest that FC Rosengard midfielder Jelena Cankovic has chosen to join Chelsea ahead of Arsenal after both WSL clubs triggered her release clause.
Supporters have been calling for Emma Hayes to bring a defensive ball playing midfielder into the team, somebody in the mould of Lena Oberdorf or Keira Walsh, however Cankovic is not a midfielder in that mould.
Looking just on paper, it would appear that Cankovic is the direct replacement of Ji So-Yun, who left the club this summer after eight years at the club.
Like Ji, Cankovic is a natural in the number 10 position, but can also, much as Ji did following the arrival of Pernille Harder, play deeper in the pivot.
Comparing Ji’s heat maps from before and after the arrival of Harder shows how her influence dropped deeper down the pitch.
You can also see this with Cankovic, in the Damallsvenskan 2019, Cankovic was extremely influence in the zones directly outside the penalty area, for Chelsea, these zones are occupied by Fran Kirby and Harder.
However, Cankovic in 2022 also dropped slightly deeper and showed she can influence the game from further down the pitch.
Watching clips of Cankovic, one of her biggest strengths is collecting the ball from the defence, turning and playing long diagonal balls onto running forwards, something that would see her fit into Chelsea’s playing style straight away.
Cankovic also has all the usual attributes that you’d expect from a traditional number 10, close control, deft of touch, a turn of pass, can take players on, happy to receive the ball in tight areas, the list goes on.
One thing that stood out for me however, was Cankovic’s ability to scan the pitch and decide which action to take before receiving a pass, this put her one step ahead of her opponents.
It’s also useful to compare the stats of both Cankovic and Ji from last season, as both played a similar number of minutes.
Cankovic played 596 minutes following a long term knee injury, scored 3 goals and provided 4 assists. She had 20 shots with 45% on target, giving her an xG of 1.87.
She completed 88.1% of her 536 passes, with 63.2% of her 57 attempted long passes being successful.
Ji, on the other hand, played 703 minutes for Chelsea, failing to register a goal and providing 4 assists. Ji took 17 shots with 59% on target, giving her an xG of 1.18.
Cankovic acheived a 55.6% success rate on her 36 dribbles and 72.7% cross accuracy from 11 attempts, to Ji’s 64% success rate on her 25 attempted dribbles and 66.7% cross accuracy from 9 attempts.
Ji completed 88.2% of her 483 attempted passes, with 71.4% of her 21 attempted long passes being successful.
Defensively, Cankovic won 53.7% of her 175 duels and won 40% of her 10 aerial duels, with Ji winning 52.5% of her 120 duels and 58% of her 17 aerial duels.
Cankovic also provided 20 interceptions and 52 recoveries to Ji’s 27 interceptions and 48 recoveries.
These numbers are pretty similar, and this graphic, produced by data analyst Jesper Haglof, shows just how close the players are in terms of profile.
Damallsvenskan expert Mia Eriksson, agrees that Cankovic is the ideal replacement for the Ji So-Yun that left Chelsea this summer.
“Cankovic is a very complete player, she has been the best and most consistent player in the Swedish league for a couple of years now.
“For Rosengard she has been used as the number 10, so I’m having a hard time seeing where she would fit perfectly in Chelsea’s midfield, but, she is flexible and versatile, just how Emma Hayes likes her players.
“If she is to play in the pivot, she will need a player like [Erin] Cuthbert, to help with the defensive side of the game and have the work rate to keep it up for a full 90 minutes.
“Cankovic is like a mixture of Ji, Harder, [Jessie] Fleming, and maybe even Cuthbert, she [Cankovic] is stronger and more physical than Ji and can use her body to hold the ball up better, but Ji is slightly stronger technically.”
Last season, Ji was extremely useful coming on in tight games, especially against low block defences and helping to unpick the lock by connecting defence to attack. This skill set is still needed by Hayes, especially if the Chelsea manager is not targeting a ball playing midfielder to sit in the pivot.
Cankovic can fill the void left by Ji, with Harder and Fleming taking up the more attacking role for Chelsea that Ji performed prior to the arrival of Harder.
Chelsea’s transfer market activity this summer has seen them beef up the squad and provide not just strength in depth but also serious competition for starting places, which is exactly the kind of environment that Hayes wants her squad to thrive on.
In that sense, Cankovic ticks all the boxes.