Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger have three games to make a mark
By George Perry
Chelsea chose not to appeal Gary Cahill’s red card, confirming the captain will miss the next three games. This presents Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger a rare opportunity to prove their value to the squad.
There was a certain element of gallows humour last season when it came to weighing a young Chelsea player’s chance of seeing playing time. Antonio Conte found so much success with his regular XI, only an injury to a starter would create an opening for a player to come off the bench to the starting lineup. Even the FA Cup went dry as a source of starts and double-digit minutes for fringe players.
Chelsea opened this season with a rash of injuries, allowing Jeremie Boga to start in the season-opener. Andreas Christensen replaced Boga after Gary Cahill’s red card, providing a much earlier glimpse of these two youngsters than most fans would have otherwise hoped for.
Now that Chelsea have declined to appeal Cahill’s red card there will be an unexpected vacancy in Chelsea’s defence. The concurrent suspension of Cesc Fabregas and the continued absence of Tiemoue Bakayoko create another opening in defensive midfield.
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David Luiz and Andreas Christensen are the two most likely players to slot into midfield, although Charly Musonda is a distant candidate. Since Luiz and Christensen are also needed on the back-line, Christensen has a high probability of starting the next three games. Antonio Conte will also need to call on Antonio Rudiger, perhaps earlier than planned.
Rudiger started against Burnley as Cesar Azpilicueta covered Victor Moses’ suspension. If Cahill was available, Conte would likely start last season’s defence of Cahill, Luiz and Azpilicueta. But with Cahill out and Luiz potentially in central midfield, Rudiger may have three more starts ahead of him.
Throughout his Chelsea career Gary Cahill has been a surprisingly difficult player to knock out of the lineup. He is rarely injured. Saturday’s sending-off was his first in a Chelsea uniform. And every time a new arrival is touted to be the end of the Englishman’s time at Chelsea, he digs in and hangs on until he eventually donned the captain’s armband.
Cahill is at little risk of losing his spot in the starting XI, not least because of the captaincy. Chelsea’s organization and discipline evaporated when he left the pitch on Saturday. The Blues needed 30 minutes to gain their footing as a unit, by which point Burnley led 3-0.
Even if Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen will be back on the bench against Arsenal in mid-September, they have the opportunity make a keen impression on Antonio Conte. Cahill’s suspension gives them the chance to shape their future, and show Antonio Conte where they belong in his rotation. They may not be able to displace Cahill, Cesar Azpilicueta or David Luiz from the best XI, but they can lock in their places for the Carabao Cup and any Champions League matches against weak opponents. They can also give Antonio Conte tactical flexibility to explore new formations and trying players in new positions.
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Few Chelsea players had the chance to poach a position off their teammate last season. Chelsea’s starting XI is in far too much flux for mid-August. The upside is that every week could be another player’s audition for a greater role later in the year. Misfortune brings them the opportunity, if they have the boldness to meet it.