Chelsea's Spanish influence is growing

Is scrapping replays a 'kick in the teeth' for lower-league clubs or a vital step for player welfare? Managers from across English football have their say as war rages over controversial move
Revealed: Roman Abramovich's alleged role in Dutch side Vitesse being given 18-point deduction and RELEGATED from the Eredivisie after investigation into financial irregularities
Arsenal's April curse strikes again! SAMI MOKBEL reveals exactly what needs to change for Mikel Arteta to win major honours
Casemiro opens up on why he nearly CANCELLED his £70m move to Man United from Real Madrid... as the Brazilian star reveals an emotional chat with Carlo Ancelotti almost changed his mind
PHIL FODEN on the very personal reason why he wears No 47, how he deals with the relentless Pep Guardiola... and he finally settles a Man City myth
Can Chelsea pile more misery on Man City and end their double hopes? The Blues are 12/5 to win FA Cup semi-final tie... with Cole Palmer 2/1 to score anytime against his former side
Ratcliffe's revolution continues! Man United confirm appointment of Jason Wilcox as new technical director after agreeing compensation with Southampton and will start new role with immediate effect
Zinedine Zidane 'would prefer to manage Man United over Bayern Munich' and is 'monitoring the situation at Old Trafford'... DESPITE being 'close' to a deal to replace Thomas Tuchel at Bundesliga giants
Geri and Christian Horner 'in talks to film fly-on-the-wall documentary about their personal life' after the Red Bull Racing boss was cleared of wrongdoing amid his 'sexting' scandal
Tired? Give it a rest. If Man City keep talking about feeling jaded then they'll start to believe they are, writes GRAEME SOUNESS
Coventry have been penniless, homeless and at war with their owners but, like the city bombed in 1940, they have risen from the rubble to set up their semi-final date with Man United
Cole Palmer was asking to leave Man City for TWO seasons, reveals Pep Guardiola... as he admits he 'didn't give the Chelsea star the minutes he deserved'
Cesc Fabregas speaks out on Chelsea's penalty fiasco as he warns arguments over who takes spot-kicks can cause 'bad vibes' in the dressing room - and recalls being at the centre of a similar row
New footage shows Xabi Alonso and his Bayer Leverkusen staff reacting to finding out Europa League semi-final opponent, as clip prompts fans to warn German champions about underestimating Roma
Lower-league clubs could BOYCOTT the FA Cup in fury after the Premier League and The FA agreed to scrap replays in the hallowed tournament
England's next wonderkid? Wolves are set to include a 15-YEAR-OLD schoolboy in their squad to face Arsenal amid their injury crisis... and Gary O'Neil hints the young star could START crunch clash
Have Liverpool lost their killer edge at the worst time? Reds have not scored from open play in over SIX HOURS... and their poor recent record is in danger of ruining Jurgen Klopp's farewell tour
Teenage sensation Luke Littler swats aside Arno Merk to set up World Championship final rematch with Luke Humphries in second round of European Darts Grand Prix
Man City 'are already preparing for life after Pep Guardiola and have identified LaLiga boss as a potential successor to the Spaniard when he leaves the Etihad'
Formula One fans claim Taylor Swift had a dig at Fernando Alonso in her new album 'The Tortured Poets Department' after singer's rumored romance with the Spaniard last year
KEOWN TALKS TACTICS: Luton's tunnel vision could be saving grace - as Rob Edwards' Hatters look to seize the initiative in the Premier League relegation battle
Sean Dyche insists he will 'FIGHT' to stay at Everton amidst concerning run of just one win in 15 games as under-pressure Toffees boss reveals project is 'a lot different' to what he expected
Michael Schumacher's incredible watch collection 'is set to be auctioned by his family' with eight of his unique timepieces 'expected to fetch an estimated £5M'
Man United target names the Red Devils as a club he'd love to play for, despite snubbing Erik ten Hag's advances for TWO YEARS... with Premier League rivals also on his list

Chelsea's Spanish contingent have been in outstanding form this season
Players from Spain have supplied 10 of their 12 Premier League goals so far
Alvaro Morata has scored six of these, with Pedro, Marcos Alonso and Cesc Fabregas also finding the net for defending champions
Spanish players have either scored or set up 15 of Chelsea's last 16 goals
Their Spanish players have outscored counterparts in all 20 La Liga clubs

Published: 06:59 EDT, 25 September 2017 | Updated: 08:06 EDT, 25 September 2017

e-mail

There has become something rather inevitable about Chelsea's goals of late and it all played out exactly to plan at Stoke on Saturday.

When Alvaro Morata breached the home defence to slot home Chelsea's opener, it was no surprise to see that Cesar Azpilicueta had pinged the ball over the top.

And when Morata book-ended the 4-0 win with a tap-in to complete his hat-trick late on, it was Azpilicueta again who'd burst forward into the opposition box to supply a chested assist.

Alvaro Morata has been lethal for Chelsea, but owes credit to compatriot Cezar Azpilicueta

The Spanish duo have linked up for four of Morata's six goals for the Blues so far this season

Morata and Azpilicueta were in excellent form as Chelsea thrashed Stoke 4-0 on Saturday

Azpilicueta has now supplied Morata with four Premier League goals this season, making this Spanish axis the most effective combination in Europe's leading five divisions.

But the intuition between Azpilicueta and Morata is merely to scratch the surface of the growing Spanish influence at Stamford Bridge.

Of the 12 Premier League goals the defending champions have scored so far this season, 10 have been supplied by their Spanish stars.

Six of those have come from Morata, their £60million summer signing from Real Madrid, with three at the Bet365 Stadium on Saturday adding to earlier strikes against Burnley, Everton and Leicester City.

Alvaro Morata celebrates scoring in Chelsea's 2-1 win at Leicester City

Morata has scored six Premier League goals so far - half of Chelsea's total tally

In addition, Morata's compatriot Marcos Alonso has scored two while Cesc Fabregas and Pedro have scored one apiece so far.

With 83.3 per cent of Chelsea's Premier League goals scored by Spaniards, the only others to get a look in have been Brazilian David Luiz and Frenchman N'Golo Kante, with one goal apiece.

Incredibly, 15 of Chelsea's last 16 goals have been either scored or assisted by Spaniards, showing how the influence runs through the team.

Marcos Alonso has once again performed well this season and Chelsea have started well

Midfielder Cesc Fabregas is another member of Chelsea's Spanish contingent

And in a sign that Chelsea could happily compete in La Liga, the total of 10 league goals scored by Spanish players is a higher return than all 20 clubs in the Spanish top-flight.

Real Sociedad are the only club to come close, with eight of their 13 league goals scored by Spanish players.

Chelsea's Spanish Armada is in full sail, but time will tell whether they can retain their Premier League crown.