Andreas Christensen is Chelsea’s new defensive general

Andreas Christensen was given a fortuitous chance at the beginning of the season and he snatched it. The Dane is Chelsea’s new defensive general.

In a post-John Terry Chelsea, many Blues’ fans were left wondering as to whether Antonio Conte would be able to find a suitable long-term replacement in the heart of his defence. Despite their successes of last year, a back-line of David Luiz, Gary Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta never screamed longevity and the addition of Antonio Rudiger didn’t inspire the SW6 faithful.

Step forward Andreas Christensen.

The baby-faced Dane returned to Stamford Bridge in the summer off the back of a successful two-year loan with Borussia Monchengladbach. The 21-year-old made 82 appearances and won the club’s Player of the Season award in his debut campaign. His effort didn’t go unnoticed and Chelsea fans were crying for the centre-half to return to Conte’s squad.

Once he was back in West London, it was not long before Antonio Conte realised just how talented the youngster was. Speaking to 6’eren, Christensen’s agent and father, Sten Christensen, shed light on the reaction.

"After the first training session after his return, Conte had gone to Michael Emenalo and told him “He’s even better live than on television!” He’s coming back to Chelsea as a first team player, not as a youth player.  – via WAGNH"

Whilst his talent was undoubted, many fans were worried about Christensen’s return to Chelsea’s squad. With his pedigree growing, especially on the continent, would the defender be happy to play a bit-part role in Conte’s squad?

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With the Italian seemingly set on the defensive trio that led him to the title last season, and having pushed for the arrival of another defender, Rudiger, the Dane’s path to the first team looked slim.

Fortunately, for both Christensen and his fans, Cahill took this worry into his own hands and an opening day red card against Burnley presented a chance for the Dane to shine. That he did, with a faultless performance in the away win against Spurs. Much like Nathan Ake in the FA Cup semi-final last year, Christensen looked years ahead of his age on the Wembley Stadium pitch.

Since then, things have gone even better for Christensen. A combination of injuries and disagreements have ousted Luiz from the heart of Chelsea’s defensive trio. The 21-year-old has taken his space with ease and class.

His 92.5% passing accuracy is second only to John Stones out of Premier League defenders and better than his teammates. With football edging towards a trend of ‘quarter-back’ centre-halves that can carry the ball and distribute it, this element of Christensen’s game is invaluable. It’s arguably something the Blues were searching so desperately for during the summer transfer window; little did we know it was at our front door.

The aesthetic beauty of Christensen is the ease with which he executes his role. His manner on the pitch is calm, collected and sophisticated – you would have to go some way to find him in a shaky situation. Out of every Chelsea outfield player, he has made the least fouls per game (0.3). He has also only been shown one yellow card in 103 professional league appearances.

At 21 years of age, Christensen is in for the long haul and the Dane could be a fixture in Chelsea’s backline for years to come. His style is notably different to John Terry, yet so is the game itself. Whilst less vocal and animated in his dictating of the defence, Christensen’s sheer composure leads by example and breathes confidence into the Blues. It’s something that Cahill has been criticised for and Christensen’s success have highlighted the club captain’s shortcomings.

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For now, it appears that the 21-year-old Dane is first-choice for Conte and the future looks bright for one of Europe’s brightest centre-halves. With his country, Denmark, heading to the World Cup, Christensen will also have the opportunity to showcase his ability on the world stage. Moreover, he came from Chelsea’s little old academy…

Just about!