Chelsea FC youngster Andreas Christensen made his full first team debut on Tuesday against Shrewsbury Town in the Capital One Cup. The Denmark Under 21 international spoke to Chelsea TV this week and reflected on the debut. Christensen is usually deployed as a centerback but due to Branislav Ivanovic and Cesar Azpilicueta both serving suspensions, he was called in to the starting lineup as a right back.
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Andreas Christensen looked comfortable playing out of position and it gives credence to the thought that maybe his long term future could lie outside of his current position. Players like Nathan Ake and Nathaniel Chalobah came up the Chelsea FC Academy ranks as defenders but both are now deployed in central midfield. Ake played the part against Shrewsbury Town and even notched an assist against NK Maribor with a beautiful ball over the top for Eden Hazard.
"“I’ve played at right-back before but it’s been quite a while since I did that so I was just trying to see my clips from before, see what I did and try and do it again. The manager told me to be myself, play how I normally do and I would be fine. JT, Gary Cahill and some of the other older players told me to not rush it, play it as simple as long as I could then when I felt a bit more comfortable risk it a bit more.”-Andreas ChristensenSource: Chelsea TV"
Christensen was not lucky enough to find his way on the scoresheet or stat sheet with an assist but he put in a composed performance against a lively opponent. Shrewsbury Town is of course not at the level of a Premier League side but the youngster played well in a tough situation on a muddy pitch.
Despite his impressive performance, it appears that Andreas Christensen’s position for the future at centerback. His size and physicality is a more important asset for a player in the center of defense than in a player that has to chase wingers up and down the pitch. Christensen played well enough to be considered for a future role in a pinch or in a meaningless match and has inched himself closer to the first team.
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