Kurt Zouma is on target with his recovery from tearing his ACL last season. With FA Cup starts and Premier League substitutions under his belt, the Premier League XI is just around the corner.
Kurt Zouma earned plenty of attention in the last week. He returned to the Premier League pitch for the first time since tearing his ACL against Manchester United in December 2015. Antonio Conte gave Zouma an end-of-game run-out to complement his two full game appearances in the FA Cup.
In his brief time on the pitch, Kurt Zouma danced past Nacho Monreal with a nifty step-over move. After the game, Didier Drogba took his Instagram followers on a guided tour of Zouma’s “12-pack” (six on his abs, six on his back).
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The man with the middle name “Happy” attributes his resilience and success to his nominative attitude.
"If you are mentally good, your recovery is going to be better and quicker. That’s my philosophy. If you give up and you’re sad every day you’re going to struggle. I keep laughing. I’m still young, enjoy the life. I’m a footballer, I have a great life. So let’s laugh. – The Mirror"
Chelsea’s Premier League (and, next season, Champions League) opponents will not be laughing at the thought of a fully healthy Zouma on Chelsea’s back-line. At 6’3″, 200 pounds Zouma would be a solid defender if he could merely intimidate opposing forwards, muscle out tackles and control the aerial duels in Chelsea’s box.
But as he showed against Arsenal and in his pre-injury performances, he has the speed and mobility of a much smaller man. In 2015/16 Zouma averaged as many interceptions per game (1.6) as John Terry and Gary Cahill. He led the team in clearances that season, averaging 5.3 per game over 23 games.
Zouma will have more opportunities to shine defensively and playing the ball out in Conte’s three-man back-line. Conte took Zouma on the pre-season tour of the United States in large part to give Zouma the opportunity to learn the new tactics.
"Tactically we watch a lot of videos and we learn. Details are important to him. You learn a lot with him, a lot. The Italian style is very good for defenders."
Zouma will likely not feature in the Premier League for the balance of this season. Antonio Conte will not want to tinker with the formula that has brought Chelsea this far. The physio staff may also still have a touch of caution regarding Zouma’s return to full playing capacity, given the oft-cited physicality of the Premier League.
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Even if Zouma is primarily an FA Cup player this season, he will certainly have a major role next season. Hopefully he will have plenty of time on the training ground to work with his future centre-back partner Nathan Ake.