Some crazy things have happened at the Stamford Bridge on the deadline day of the transfer season. It seemed like the manager, Antonio Conte, will have to settle down with those only signings as he tried a lot, but failed to bring in the reported target, but right at the very moment, the spell worked and two new players joined the squad.
The manager mentioned earlier that the defensive reinforcements are now a necessity for the club as both Cahill and Terry were looking comparatively weak. Then there were reports that Napoli’s defender Kalidou Koulibaly and AC Milan’s youngster Alessio Romagnoli were the targets, but both deals failed and finally, the club managed to sign their former defensive sensation David Luiz from PSG and Marcos Alonso from Fiorentina.
The Blues made a great profit from Luiz’s deal as they sold him to the French champions on a whopping £50m deal, but bought him back in just £30m. Furthermore, to address the fullback issue, the former Sunderland and Bolton defender Marcos Alonso was brought in for a reported fee of £24m from Fiorentina.
The Blues sure had a great start to their new campaign, but as stated earlier, their defensive line always looked fragile as Terry was losing his shape and Cahill was losing his consistency, while Zouma is still recovering from his injury. But now with these two signings done, it is safe to say that the entire Chelsea pack is complete.
So according to us, this is how the manager, Antonio Conte, will draw his defensive line for the rest of the season:
Starting from the right back spot, a change is expected there. Branislav Ivanovic might retain his form under Conte, but the 32-year-old isn’t getting any younger and that is why, if the manager is to deploy Alonso in the starting lineup, then he might have to exclude Ivanovic.
And in that case, the Spaniard, Cesar Azpilicueta, who has been playing as a left back so far, can be shifted to the right wing as he is very effective there as well. With the Spaniard shifting his spot, the left area will be a void and this is where the new signing from Fiorentina will work. The 25-year-old made 31 appearances for the club from Florence last season and was really praised for his passing skills and also for his defensive stability. He will bring the much-needed composure at the Bridge and is well capable of giving his opponent a run for their money.
With that being said, the manager will have to work on the central back pairing. Terry, who nearly left the club earlier this summer, can be dropped by the manager and David Luiz can make his way up to the lineup. Further, when Zouma recovers from his injury, the Brazilian-French duo could well step up to surpass the English duo in the starting role. But we all are aware of the fact that Zouma needs time and in that case, a shuffling between Terry and Cahill can be done, while Luiz will be a constant player for the team, as he is well capable of providing a different and effective dimension to the team with his ball playing skills.
So this is it! With the attack looking stronger, the defence will have to compliment it and we believe that the new signings are well capable of doing it.