Antonio Rudiger not happy with his playing situation at Chelsea
Speaking in an interview with German outlet ZDF (h/t Daily Mail), Antonio Rudiger has claimed that he is not happy with his lack of playing time at Chelsea.
The German defender has slowly gone down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge. He has only appeared in one Premier League game this season, despite playing 19 of the last 22 league games in the last campaign.
Manager Frank Lampard has clearly found his first-choice centre-back pairing. French defender Kurt Zouma has paired up with Thiago Silva at the heart of the Chelsea defence regularly this term and produced good results.
Silva was signed in the summer on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain and has been a revelation since he arrived at Chelsea.
As a result, Rudiger is sidelined from the first-team picture. Despite appearing in 4 Champions League games this season, the 27-year-old says he is unsatisfied with his situation at the club.
The former AS Roma defender has played only 382 minutes of first-team football this season. (h/t Daily Mail)
However, Rudiger has said that he will fight for his position at the club rather than seek a move away in January.
“I can’t be satisfied with my situation, but the fight has been accepted.”
On being asked about a move in January, the German said that he is not thinking about the transfer window, and that he is “relaxed” at the moment.
“What will happen in January is a long way off. I’m completely relaxed.”
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Chelsea have not looked shaky without Rudiger so far in all honesty. Apart from the back-to-back losses against Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers, the club has had a very sturdy defence.
Lampard has a set pair of centre-backs in his mind with Zouma and Thiago Silva. But, Rudiger can still play a part at the club.
He has played in 4 important European matches this season, hence showing that Lampard has not completely frozen him out.