Chelsea FC’s most underrated players of the past 15 years

Salomon Kalou – Andre Carlisle

Deco, Michael Essien, Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard, and Didier Drogba. When the Chelsea of yester-decade was at their most dominant, they were quite the blue sight. Cobalt shirts overpowered and outpaced every line of defense, leaving opposition goalkeepers alone to face the onslaught with the valiance of a Jon Snow that had already died once.

Those Chelsea sides were a blur whizzing by defenders and claiming their share of goals. If you turn up the audio you’ll hear commentators shout things like “With the equalizeeeeer!”; “Scooooores in stoppage time!”; “2-1 to Chelsea!”; and “He broke the deadlock!”

And it might surprise you that there’s a more than decent chance that the cause of the delirium was Salomon Kalou.

The quiet Kalou was a key component in the deviousness of Chelsea’s counter attacks. Chelsea’s technique and skill was in abundance. But without Kalou’s worrying amount of acceleration and finishing instincts, defenders could wait for attackers to come onto them. It was Chelsea’s other Ivorian that made sure defenses stayed on their heels.

With Frank Lampard retired, and Didier Drogba and John Terry not far behind, it may seem shocking that Salomon Kalou is still just 31 years old. He was remarkably talented and mature at such a young age, but at just the right time for Chelsea. Kalou scored while playing alongside Andriy Shevchenko, Drogba, and Torres – all before his 27th birthday.

Kalou currently plays for Bundesliga’s sixth-place Hertha Berlin. He has started in the last 11 matches he’s been available, notching 5 goals and 3 assists. Next time Hertha play you should try to watch.

Yes, Bundesliga is a fun league, but because there will be a familiar face – and pace – still terrorizing defenses.