Rumours of Gary Cahill’s demise at Chelsea have been greatly exaggerated. The same goes for many of his teammates.
Chelsea demonstrated at Stoke many of the reasons behind their 13-point lead atop the Premier League. Their resilience as a club and as individual players revealed the character of champions-in-waiting: precisely what Antonio Conte seeks to instill.
Willian started in place of Eden Hazard. The Brazilian had not started in the Premier League since January 31 against Liverpool. His most notable contribution in that game was as the unintentional decoy for David Luiz’s long-range goal.
Willian opened the scoring at Stoke with an equally cheeky free-kick that was every bit as surprising in its result as its execution. The goal showed a considerable amount of confidence for a player who has spent much of the season on the bench. He had not scored in the Premier League since New Year’s Eve, when he scored a brace against Stoke.
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Gary Cahill started this season under a cloud that this would be his last in Blue. David Luiz’s signing, Kurt Zouma’s impending return and the anticipated return of Andreas Christensen and Nathan Ake all seemed to spell the end for the vice-captain. Antonio Conte’s switch to the three-man backline appeared to be the worst possible move for Cahill.
Instead, Cahill has earned his place in the squad game after game. He scored Chelsea’s winning goal against Stoke. Off of a corner kick he muscled away his defender, powerfully booted the ball into the roof of the net and ran to the fans kissing the Chelsea badge.
In every way – right down to the armband – this was a John Terry moment. Far from keeping a seat warm on the backline to bridge the gap between Terry and the future, Cahill has earned his right to carry Terry’s torch for many more years.
Cesc Fabregas once again was an impact sub in the 70′. As Stoke spread their game in the hope of launching a counter-attack, they created passing lanes for Fabregas to exploit. Fabregas was better off not playing in the gratuitously violent first half, and was able to put Chelsea on the front foot to see out the game.
In his pre-match press conference, Antonio Conte answered a question about how he motivates his little-used youth players. His answer is every bit as applicable to his veterans.
"To stay in the squad of our great team is already a great motivation. Every day I demand and I want great motivation… To stay in a great squad like Chelsea is a fantastic opportunity everyday to show me that they are improving. And then, when there is the possibility to play, they play. – Chelsea FC"
Willian and Cesc Fabregas show through their match performances their levels of motivation and effort in training on those weeks – sometimes many weeks – between appearances. They prove themselves enough to Conte at Cobham that he can trust them in the Premier League. They return his trust by delivering performances like yesterday’s.
Gary Cahill has not experienced as much time on the bench, but has significantly greater direct competition breathing down his neck. Cahill could coast into a regular starting XI spot at nearly any team in the Premier League, or across Europe. Instead, he is fighting every day for the one starting XI spot he truly wants.
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Antonio Conte has reinvigorated the club’s and the team’s spirit. Chelsea have not played with this fire for some time. All expectations for the players need to be re-evaluated in light of what Conte has done. Early season predictions about who were on their last legs look particularly foolish* after fixtures like the one at Stoke.
*Guilty as charged.