The Pride of London
Fansided

Three big questions: Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell and combating expectations

By Travis Tyler

England's midfielder Mason Mount (R) celebrates his goal with his teammate England's defender Benjamin Chilwell during the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying Group A football match between Kosovo and England at the Fadil Vokrri stadium in Prishtina on November 17, 2019. (Photo by Armend NIMANI / AFP) (Photo by ARMEND NIMANI/AFP via Getty Images)
England's midfielder Mason Mount (R) celebrates his goal with his teammate England's defender Benjamin Chilwell during the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying Group A football match between Kosovo and England at the Fadil Vokrri stadium in Prishtina on November 17, 2019. (Photo by Armend NIMANI / AFP) (Photo by ARMEND NIMANI/AFP via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 3
Next
PRISTINA, KOSOVO – NOVEMBER 17: Ben Chilwell of England battles for possession with Florent Hadergjonaj of Kosovo during the UEFA Euro 2020 Qualifier between Kosovo and England at the Pristina City Stadium on November 17, 2019 in Pristina, Kosovo. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
PRISTINA, KOSOVO – NOVEMBER 17: Ben Chilwell of England battles for possession with Florent Hadergjonaj of Kosovo during the UEFA Euro 2020 Qualifier between Kosovo and England at the Pristina City Stadium on November 17, 2019 in Pristina, Kosovo. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /

3. How is he an upgrade on Alonso and Emerson?

This is the main question fans will have. Neither Emerson nor Alonso have really filled the need the Blues have at left back. Emerson has the physical ability and the attacking side of things down, but he has rarely shown the defensive side of things. Alonso can attack and defend, but physically he can only do either so well. In a high pressing side that uses “modern fullbacks”, neither is really up to scratch.

Chilwell, however, very much is. A “modern fullback” is basically what box to box midfielders were a decade or two ago. They are the player expected to be good at everything in every phase. They need to be good on the ball and able to aid the attack. They also need to be able to stop the opponent or force the opponent into bad situations.

The English fullback can do all of that. He has the ability to move up and down the pitch quickly. He can be patient in possession (such as with Leicester) or he can be more aggressive at moving the ball forward (such as with England). He has a solid cross on him and even a goal here and there. When possession is lost, he immediately goes into counter pressing mode to restart the attack as quickly as possible. If that fails, he can retreat into a defensive position and sniff out danger as it comes.

None of this is to say he is the perfect player or even that he is an improvement on what Chelsea had before. He still has plenty of room to develop. But time is on his side and he is a much better fit for what Lampard is trying to accomplish than either Alonso or Emerson. In fact, he is probably a better fit than any of the other targets the Blues could have gone for.

Whether this translates from one blue kit to the next will remain to be seen. Chilwell did trail off around the midway point last season and injury has kept him out for awhile now. But if he can return to his form at the start of next season, he will quickly win over fans.

Next. Three big questions: Chelsea's Hakim Ziyech and making magic. dark

What questions do you have of Chilwell ahead of the new season? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter!

Home/Chelsea FC News