Chelsea’s captains remain the core of Antonio Conte’s defence
By George Perry
Gary Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta swapped places on the bench – and the captain’s armband – in Chelsea’s last two games. Despite one’s recent form and unrelenting criticism from fans for the other, these two remain Antonio Conte’s most important and favoured defenders.
Cesar Azpilicueta had a rare experience when Chelsea played Everton in the Carabao Cup last week. Not only did he not play, he did not even dress. Yes, it was an early round of the lower of the domestic cups, and yes, the opponent was in the relegation places with no manager. But it was still Everton – a Premier League team – and Antonio Conte gave Azpilicueta the night fully off.
Azpilicueta returned to the starting XI against 19th-place Bournemouth. Gary Cahill still had to be ready for the game, as Conte named him a substitute for the game. But Chelsea did not need their captain to dispatch the Cherries, and Cahill rested.
Antonio Conte would never say that a game is unimportant or an opponent is easy. But he would acknowledge that some games are more important than others, and some opponents are easier than others. Neither Everton in the Carabao Cup nor Bournemouth in the Premier League require a full-strength Chelsea squad. AS Roma in the Champions League is another matter.
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The Blues play Roma in Rome six days after the Everton tie and three days after the Bournemouth fixture. After surrendering a 2-0 lead by shipping three goals to Roma at Stamford Bridge, Antonio Conte needs to restore Chelsea’s defensive solidity in the Champions League. That he chose Gary Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta to alternate rest days shows that he expects these two to carry the day at Roma.
Contrary to common perception, Gary Cahill is not having a “worse season than usual.” Nor is he Chelsea’s worst defender by any statistical or qualitative measure. Cahill’s defensive stats this year are in line with the rest of his Chelsea career. While this opens the door to someone saying “well he’s never been good enough for Chelsea!” his stats are in line with all of his teammates (and competitors) on the Blues’ back-line.
Cahill and Andreas Christensen each average 1.2 tackles per game. Cahill’s supposed replacement on the left side of the defence, Antonio Rudiger, averages 1.4. Cahill averages 3.5 clearances per game, about one per game fewer than Rudiger, Azpilicueta or David Luiz. He averages .7 blocks per game, again on par with Christensen, Luiz and Rudiger. The only measure where he is significantly lags is in interceptions. But his positioning on defence rarely puts him in a common passing lane, nor does his role require him to find one.
Just as importantly, Cahill provides positional discipline and tactical certainty that David Luiz does not (perhaps cannot) provide and that Antonio Rudiger does not yet have under Antonio Conte. For all of Cahill’s faults and imperfections, you can rely on him to be where a centre-back needs to be and do what a centre-back needs to do.
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This is what binds Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta together, and to Antonio Conte. Even though he has not been himself so far this season, Cesar Azpilicueta has not succumbed to flights of fancy, lapses in concentration or indiscipline. He still embodies the basic elements of the impeccable defender that he normally is, and will return to being once he pulls out of this slump.
Antonio Conte planned his lineups to give each captain one night off and one night against an unthreatening opponent. This will bring them back into the lineup on Tuesday physically rested and – hopefully – mentally refreshed.
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They will face a truly threatening opponent in a crucial game in Rome. Both players need to be at their best as defenders and leaders, organizing the defence as well as executing it. Antonio Conte has a choice to make about who will be in the centre of the defence. But his choice and preference for the left and right remain the men he appointed as captains over the summer.