Three big questions: Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger bought himself time

3. Can he stay settled as third or fourth choice?

Managers often have to pick their battles. For instance, most know if they bench a star player early in the campaign, even if they do not fit tactically at all, that it will cause issues throughout. Benching them later in the campaign minimizes those issues while also making it quite clear what the situation is.

Rudiger is in the middle ground of that. As soon as he was fit, he played nearly every match. At the same time, it is clear that he should fall down the pecking order based on his performances all season. Kurt Zouma should be a locked on starter with whoever comes in to supplement the defense. Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger will fight over the scraps of third and fourth choice and Fikayo Tomori should go on loan.

The question is how long Rudiger will stand being on the bench. Lampard playing him so much in the back end of the season could imply that he truly is seen as a starter, but it could also imply that he could be an issue if benched long term. Managers have to balance that juggling act for the good of the team.

Now, Rudiger has given no indication what so ever that he would be upset by being benched. But a player at his age and ability, however diminished, knows they can walk into most teams of Chelsea’s caliber or just below it. If Chelsea cannot offer those starts, it may not be long before Rudiger starts to look for them elsewhere. It truly depends on how much Lampard rotates, how much the meritocracy holds up, and how patient Rudiger is willing to be.

What questions do you have about Rudiger ahead of next season? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter!