Three big questions: Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger bought himself time
By Travis Tyler
2. Can he put his injuries behind him and return to form?
Rudiger began the season injured. Just as he was returning from injury, he fell down the stairs at Molineux and was subbed off at halftime. In the meantime, Rudiger was seen as the solution to every defensive problem Chelsea had or would have.
When he finally returned around December, he was very much not the solution. Injuries affect different players in different ways, but Rudiger was a shell of himself upon his return. His attitude in training must have been fantastic because Frank Lampard picked him in nearly every match afterwards, but on the pitch there was much to be desired.
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Rudiger’s first season at Chelsea showed a rough and rash player who had all the tools he needed to succeed with a little polish. His second season showed a lot of that polish as he bedded in and grew used to English football. But this third season is a step back from even the first as he seemingly has no sense of when he can and when he cannot come rushing out of his area.
It would be too easy to simply write him off. Injuries can change a player for some time as they recover, but positioning should not be one of those issues that comes attached to an injury. When play resumes, Rudiger has to return to how he was before if he is to fight for a starting spot. Otherwise, he will merely be the “old man” kept around in the back line to rotate in occasionally.