Gary Cahill aims to bounce back with England, fight for place at Chelsea
By George Perry
Chelsea’s embattled centre-back Gary Cahill candidly acknowledges his clumsy performances in September and vows to maintain his spot with England and Chelsea.
Gary Cahill had a September we would all like to forget. By his own admission, things were going along as usual until the match against Swansea City. Cahill gave up the ball to Leroy Fer, leading to a controversial goal as Fer fouled Cahill to steal possession. In subsequent matches, Cahill committed a series of howlers directly resulting in opposition goals and chances.
Cahill makes no excuses for his performances. He even notes that the ridiculous simplicity of his errors make them easier to correct than if they were more nuanced mistakes.
"I made a few big errors and we all know that when you make a few errors in football, basic ones as well, it gets noticed. I’m not stupid… I basically made my own mistakes out of nothing, so as ridiculously as bad as they were, they are also easy to correct. – Evening Standard"
Cahill is hoping to make his 49th cap for England this weekend against Malta. England’s interim manager Gareth Southgate is unlikely to make any drastic changes in his first lineup. The Three Lions need stability and a low-risk roster to settle themselves and the fans after the off-field events of the last few weeks.
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The qualifier against Malta offers Cahill an ideal opportunity to take control of his season. Just as Antonio Conte took advantage of the weak opposition from Hull City to debut his 3-4-3 high press, Cahill can exploit Malta to reestablish himself.
While little has come easy for England or Gary Cahill recently, they are both fortunate to be facing Malta at this juncture.
Cahill will be training under the familiar eyes of Chelsea and England assistant coach Steve Holland. He will be playing at home alongside fellow national team veterans. He can exercise his leadership and experience in training and on match day. His opponent should hopefully not trouble England and allow him to focus on fundamentals and building confidence.
Cahill knows that new arrivals at Stamford Bridge and St. George’s Park have their eyes on his spot. Despite Chris Smalling, Michael Keane and Kurt Zouma breathing down his neck, Cahill is not worried about his job security for club or for country.
"I hear that word ‘competition’ every single time I come into an England squad and I expect to hear that word every single time again. It’s competition all the time. Whether it’s club level or international level, there’s always competition. It’s good. It’s a great bunch of lads and we’re all striving in the same direction."
Gary Cahill has precisely the right attitude to regain his form. He takes full responsibility for his recent run. He knows his mistakes were “ridiculous” and unacceptable for a player at his level. And he knows that only he can get things back on track. “I am my own fiercest critic… I think that’s the way you should be and is the way I have improved.”
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Too many players, including some of his teammates, disperse the blame and offer platitudes as promises of future performance. Cahill refreshingly eschews the easy way out. He is not asking his managers or the fans to take anything on credit. If he follows through on his statements, he can put September behind him and continue his progress with Chelsea and England.