I think we have all now realised that this season is going to have a bunch more twists and turns after yet another couple of dropped points near the top of the table, this time from Man City at Goodison Park. I watched that game closely and although they have been on fine form of late, Manuel Pellegrini’s men looked far from invincible. I suppose any team that isn’t able to start with the likes of Kompany, Toure and Aguero is always going to be adversely affected to some degree. In the transfer window they are looking towards strengthening their front line with Wilfried Bony the prime candidate for a move there. For Chelsea it may be the back line that comes under the closest scrutiny. I have been saying for a while now that our first-choice defenders are limited in only one area, numbers. JT, Gary Cahill, Branislav Ivanovic, Cesar Azpilicueta and Filipe Luis are the five experienced defenders in the squad. Kurt Zouma increasingly looks capable of making that a round half-dozen, but that still leaves us light if there are a couple of injuries. Dave and Brana are priceless because they cover a few positions, actually Branislav can play anywhere along the back line, but when Dave pulled up at the weekend most Chelsea fans quickly realised this was potentially a serious moment. With four competitions on the go right now there are three options if we are going to be truly competitive to the end. Option one is obvious. We are smack bang in the middle of the transfer window, so if there is another defender of Chelsea class who is available, not stupidly overpriced and is willing to come it might be a consideration. Even if this hypothetical player is cup-tied for the Champions League this season it might be worth a thought. It isn’t easy though; squad sizes, Financial Fair Play and that availability are all crucial. It may even be that someone not frequently used has to move out to make way. Option two is of course youth. Strenuous efforts have been made to produce young talent at Cobham and a quick look at the crop shows some real talent. Man United have certainly utilised some of their kids this season, even if there have been variable levels of success to be absolutely honest. So Nathan Ake and Andreas Christensen would love the opportunity, along with some younger bucks but there is a brutal problem for these young defenders, indeed any young defenders. It is far easier to break in anywhere else in a top side than at the back. A striker, midfielder or winger can make lots of little mistakes and they are rarely catastrophic. One mistake at the back and a goal, game, points or indeed a cup campaign can be lost. Blooding young defenders usually takes years and most aren’t really ready for the top level until almost their mid-20s. There are some exceptions, but they are very few in number. It is a high- risk strategy, but one that must be seriously considered. The third option is one that Jose Mourinho is particularly adept at, this is adaptation. Before Azpilicueta moved to left-back, it wouldn’t even have crossed my mind as an idea. Remember back then we still had Ashley Cole in situ, but Jose somehow spotted the potential and it has been nothing less than a masterstroke. Are there any other players who can be moved in a crisis? Well we have seen Ramires fill in at right full-back in the past, so that is definitely a possibility. The really obvious one is Nemanja Matic being pressed into playing in the back line. He has the height, pace, tackling ability and reads the game brilliantly, so that could well be a possibility. It would however be a huge miss to the team not having him doing his job, or should that be multitude of jobs, in the midfield. What about Andre Schurrle as a full-back? It doesn’t seem likely, but you never know. Whatever decisions are made in the end may need a level of ingenuity and imagination and this will be needed particularly in the cup competitions I suspect. Fortunately we have a manager with a track record second-to- none in this department. Fans sometimes think it is strange for major adaptations to be made in a player’s positions. Oddly I started professional games in every single forward and midfield position during my career. I had never really played as a winger much before I joined Chelsea, where I was to spend most of my time. I was a striker or a no. 10 before then.
Posted on: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 13:37:25 +0000
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