Chelsea: Defender links hint at three at the back continuing
By Travis Tyler
Chelsea continue to be linked with center backs. Could that be because the club wants to continue playing with three at the back?
Chelsea have a ton of depth at center back. Between Gary Cahill, Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, David Luiz, and Kurt Zouma the Blues are well covered. That is not to mention the likes of Trevoh Chalobah, Ethan Ampadu, or Matt Miazga who could all fill in on the depth chart.
But Chelsea are still linked to center backs in the transfer market. The names have varied over time, but the links to the role have remained. There is probably enough to smoke to say that there is a fire and the Blues actually are looking for defensive reinforcements. But why?
The first, and likely more accurate, reason is that Chelsea are expecting departures. Luiz is more likely to leave than stay and Zouma will not be a depth option. Cahill only has a year left on his contract and the younger defenders are likely to be loaned out. But even still if all of those events happen, Chelsea would be in a good place if they switched to a back four next season as expected.
But what if Chelsea are not planning on switching to a back four next season? What if the Blues have told Maurizio Sarri (who is expected to come in next year) to focus on three at the back?
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It is not as far fetched as it seems. Systems become the norm and are then used and used again by teams until something better comes along. It happened with 3-5-2 being replaced by 4-4-2, 4-4-2 by 4-3-3, 4-3-3 by 4-2-3-1, and then in 2016/2017 when Antonio Conte made three at the back cool again. There is a certain strength in continuity by keeping the same shape from year to year, manager to manager. Especially when the youth team has also found great success with three at the back.
It would not even be a great departure for Sarri. Sarri’s Napoli often attacked down the left side in their 4-3-3. This saw the left back, often Faouzi Ghoulam, push high up the pitch. To cover, the right back (often Elseid Hysaj) would stay back. The shape of the squad was that of a lopsided 3-4-3. It would not take a great change to make that work at Chelsea.
The Blues under Sarri (if he ever actually joins) would likely attack down the left as well. That would put the right back staying put. Or, simply a back three where the left wing back tracks back more and the right wing back comes central more.
A continued use of three at the back would make links to center backs make sense. Rudiger, Christensen, and Cesar Azpilicueta could form a back three not too far removed from what Napoli did once Ghoulam pushed up. But after those three, only Gary Cahill is likely to remain. A new center back (or two) would add the depth that the Blues had last season and make a three at the back system far more likely.
Of course, Sarri would have to adjust slightly on his own, and few managers would be willing to change their style to suit the club they are joining. But the fact that it is not a radical departure may help. That or Chelsea are expecting an exodus soon.
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Either way, Chelsea seem dead set on acquiring a new center back. What that means going forward remains to be seen, but a three at the back continuation would not be completely impossible.