Branislav Ivanovic trying to make sense of his situation at Chelsea

Branislav Ivanovic got an assist from his teammate and countryman Nemanja Matic in a telling interview about what is left of his future at Chelsea.

Branislav Ivanovic watched Chelsea defeat Hull from the bench on Saturday. It was the first time Ivanovic was left out of the squad on form since before his header against Napoli kept Chelsea’s Champions League title run alive.

Ivanovic has been as ever-present on defence as John Terry in the intervening years. Ivanovic does not have Terry’s gravitas or positional command. But Chelsea could always count on the Serb to hold down the right side on defence and make overlapping runs to support the attack.

After a half-decade of regularity, Ivanovic is understandably struggling to come to terms with the inevitable and obvious denouement of his time at Chelsea.

"I’ll sit on the bench whenever the coach decides, and not for the first time in these eight years at Chelsea… There is no past, no future, only the present. It is normal to be on the bench, especially in clubs that over and over again are going step further. – Mirror"

While it may be “normal” for other players to be on the bench, it certainly is not for Ivanovic. Chelsea’s lack of squad rotation has been one of the club’s few constants despite the managerial turnover. Ivanovic has been a major beneficiary of the lineup’s rigidity. Ivanovic maintained his starting XI spot despite deteriorating performance under Jose Mourinho and Guus Hiddink last season.

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Antonio Conte continued the trend in the early part of this season. Marcos Alonso’s and David Luiz’s arrival and the run of poor results in September impelled Antonio Conte to break up Chelsea’s four-man back-line. Ivanovic was the odd man out.

Cesar Azpilicueta was always going to displace Ivanovic on the right side once Chelsea secured a natural left-back. However, few projected Cesar Azpilicueta starting ahead of Branislav Ivanovic as centre-back.

Gary Cahill, who arguably had a worst September than Ivanovic, doubly denied the Serb. Cahill not only started as centre-back but also served as Chelsea’s captain against Hull. Conte’s decision to choose Cahill over Ivanovic for both tactics and leadership sent an unmistakable message.

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Nemanja Matic, who likely (hopefully) sees Ivanovic’s situation as ominously foreshadowing his own, came to his countryman’s defence. Much like Ivanovic’s statement, Matic’s carries more than a whiff of desperation as the ice cracks around them.

"[T]he Premier League is very demanding and it is hard to physically endure one season, let alone as many years as Ivanovic… Branislav plays over 50 matches a year, and credit to him for that. You know that in England there are no easy matches and players there must be excellent.”"

Everything Matic says is true. Most veteran defenders around the league will play 50 games a season. Top clubs that have extensive pre-season tours and go deep into multiple cup tournaments demand more from their players. But Ivanovic is one of the few watching his team play their easiest opponent of the month from the bench.

That Matic says it about Ivanovic highlights that Ivanovic is one of the few caught on the wrong side of the lines. There could be worse company than Wayne Rooney, though.

As we have said here before, Ivanovic deserves seven years worth of plaudits just as much as he does a few months’ worth of stick. His place in the Champions League legend is on par with Fernando Torres or Didier Drogba. Week after week he fought for the Blue and, until very recently, never gave the fans reason to question his commitment. He is even a member of the quasi-exclusive “Bitten by Luis Suarez” club.

Ivanovic does not have the clout or aura of John Terry or Frank Lampard. He will not be forgiven an extra season or two of sticking around past his prime for the sake of the badge (not in any way to imply that Terry or Lampard reached that point).

Ivanovic deserves a dignified exit from the team. Chelsea owes it to him to not set him up for a final run of sub-par performances as his final contribution to the club.

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Michael Emenalo and friends need to find him a solid transfer at a respectable fee. He deserves to retire in a few years in a position of strength in his club and league. The harsh reality is that it will not be Chelsea and the Premier League.

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