According to a recent report by the Telegraph, German international centre-half Antonio Rudiger hopes to be given a second chance at his Chelsea career after constructive talks were held with Frank Lampard. It has been claimed that the former Roma man is keen on resurrecting his once blooming Chelsea career, with the defender hoping that the productive conversation with the manager will lead to that. As of this season, Rudiger has been frozen out by the gaffer, having not featured in a single game since the opening day victory against Brighton.
Although the report had clarified that Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger has held crunch talks with Lampard, whether or not his career in west London is given a lifeline remains to be seen. Despite his struggles, it must be conceded that the German is a world class defender, and a lot of the criticism he has faced from the Chelsea fans has purely been reactionary. The decision to drop him from the team entirely did come as a surprise, but Rudiger will be hoping that all of that changes in the coming weeks and months.
What Is Chelsea’s Current Defensive Situation?
The Blues currently possess five distinct central defenders for Lampard to choose from, with Rudiger seemingly down at the bottom of the London club’s pecking order. The free signing of Thiago Silva from PSG has undoubtedly done a lot to bolster the stability at the back, especially considering the poor form that some of the others displayed last season. Despite having varying alternatives to Rudiger, Lampard has preferred to go for big Kurt Zouma as the Brazilian veteran’s partner so far.
As good as Zouma is, his erratic decision making and mistake-prone nature make him a tough player to depend on regularly. Elsewhere, Andreas Christensen is another option that Lampard has at his disposal. The Dane, like Zouma, tends to be guilty of making weak decisions in important situations, which is why he isn’t a regular in the team just yet. Fikayo Tomori is the final option, and considering the Englishman’s tender age, it’s not surprising that he isn’t first choice. This leaves Antonio Rudiger as the final choice.
What Makes Antonio Rudiger A Good Defender?
The centre-half is a regular in the German national team and with good reason. Not only does he possess the ability required to perform at the highest level, but his sheer level of experience must be taken into consideration as well. Capable of stepping forward and playing the ball out from the back when required to, his ability to deal with aerial crosses is impressive too.
Despite all of this, it must be conceded that the German’s biggest selling point is the amazing cross-field passes that Rudiger has under his belt. Capable of finding the most advanced player with just one pass, his presence would singlehandedly boost the Blues’ chances of finding a goal, especially with the kind of players they’ve now got in the attack.
Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger Has Held Crunch Talks With Lampard: Should The Blues Keep Him?
As good as Kurt Zouma has been so far this season, depending on him regularly could become a cause for concern as the season wears on. More importantly, it must also be taken into consideration that prior to the 19/20 Premier League season, Antonio Rudiger was their best defender for several years.
The fact that the Chelsea faithful have lost their trust in the German is largely down to some of the mistakes he made last season, but that has done very little to tarnish his reputation. Keeping Rudiger in the side should be treated with utmost importance, and integrating him back into the eleven is something that must be done sooner rather than later.