At first glance, this would seem like a foolish question. Since the return of Jose Mourinho, Chelsea FC have had one of the most stout defenses in the Premier League. The tactics that the Blues employ force their attacking midfielders to track back in defense, changing their shape from a balanced or attack minded formation, to a defensive formation at a moments notice.
This along with a talented back four who have played plenty of games together make for a formidable defensive outfit. Even so, as the schedule begins to get more busy with numerous cup fixtures, does Chelsea FC have enough in the back to last a full campaign?
As noted above, during the 2013/14 season Chelsea had one of the best defenses in the league. They conceded 27 goals in the league, good for a 0.7 goals against average. Also, Petr Cech and Mark Schwarzer combined to put together 18 combined clean sheets. If you look even deeper, the defense completed 92.7% of passes in their own half, and even more impressively 76.7% of passes in the opponents half.
Statistics aside, the real success behind the Chelsea defense is because of their continuity. The four of Cesar Azpilicueta, Gary Cahill, John Terry, and Branislav Ivanovic are the preferred starters, and it would be a surprise if any of them were left out of the team, save for injury or rest. Ever since Azpilicueta made the switch to left back, this group has started the majority of the league matches. The question is, what are Mourinho’s options when rest is needed, or worse, if an injury occurs?
It would appear that the squad has at least sufficient depth at the outside backs. Chelsea are fortunate enough to have a player like Azpilicueta, who can play either outside back position, and Filipe Luis could easily step in and fill the left back role if needed. A player like Ivanovic has been able to play in center defense if necessary, but has gotten comfortable in the right back position.
The more serious question mark lies in the aforementioned center defense. The partnership of John Terry and Gary Cahill has proven to be pivotal. Terry seems to be ageless in terms of his recent performances, and Cahill has proven all of his critics wrong by being able to hold down a first XI spot at one of the biggest clubs in the world.
But who sits behind these two? Kurt Zouma would be the most logical next man up, but he’s unproven in the top flight. Youngster Nathan Ake also provides an option, but like Zouma he is unproven, and it is hard to say right now if he can be a consistent contributor to the first team.
After those two, who else is there to man the center of the defense? Right now, anybody other than Ivanovic would be seen as a risk if thrown into a league fixture. Should Chelsea have tried to add a central defender in the summer transfer window.? Will they pursue one in the winter widow? Do you have confidence in the defense being able to hold up throughout the season? Sound off in the comment section, or on social media!
All stats courtesy of goal.com
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