Chelsea have started off their new season in a decent fashion under their new boss Antonio Conte but things could have been much better. The Blues have already been beaten twice this season in the Premier League. The 2-1 loss to Liverpool was still a close call but the 3-0 thrashing at the hands of rivals Arsenal must have made the fans concerned. Chelsea’s defending last season was a massive let down and things haven’t improved even with Conte’s inputs. Things became worse when skipper John Terry missed the last few games through injuries.
Even at the age of 35, John Terry remains the best defender at Stamford Bridge. Gary Cahill seems like a shadow of the player he once was while it is still a big surprise why Chelsea broke the bank to buy shaky David Luiz back from PSG on the deadline day.
Youngster Kurt Zouma is a quality defender and can turn out to be a world class player in the future but the Frenchman is yet to come back from a lengthy spell on the sidelines that he suffered the last season. So, he will take time to re-settle before nailing down a regular place.
While Chelsea are craving for solid performances from their defenders, one of their very own players is setting up a name for himself in Bundesliga with Borussia Monchengladbach. He is none other than Andreas Christensen. The Danish international joined Chelsea from Danish side Brondby on a free transfer in 2012 but could make just three first-team appearances for the Blues.
Chelsea shipped the young defender out on loan to Bundesliga giants Borussia Monchengladbach in 2015 for two seasons in order to let the Dane have some first-team exposure. He certainly made the best use of the opportunity and has made 49 appearances for the Bundesliga side till date. The 20-year-old is a key player at Borussia Park right now and he certainly has made a strong bid for a first-team place at Stamford Bridge when he returns to West London.
Antonio Conte rates ball-playing defenders very highly and the Italian will definitely love the passing ability the Danish international comes with. The 20-year-old has managed a passing accuracy of 90.9% this season so far which is highly impressive.
Thanks to his frame of 6’2″, Christensen is a force in the air and winning as many as 2.3 aerial duels every game speaks for it.
Christensen is not a player who boasts a strong physique and has to build it if he hopes to notch a place for himself at Chelsea. However, he is tactically and technically sound and has a brilliant ability to read the game despite his tender age.
The youngster has made as many as 3 interceptions every game as well as making 2.2 tackles and 2.3 clearances. Still only 20, the Dane has a long way to go and he can be the defender Chelsea wants to pair up with Zouma in the long run.
