As quoted by Sky Sports, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes Chelsea may bring in a defender to replace Gary Cahill in Antonio Conte’s 3-4-3 formation.
What’s the word?
After winning the Premier League title on Friday night, Antonio Conte selected a weakened Chelsea side to face Watford yesterday evening in what turned out to be a seven-goal thriller at Stamford Bridge, issuing game-time to those who’ve spent most of the season watching from the sidelines and resting some of the players who’ve featured consistently throughout the campaign – including matchday captain Gary Cahill who has worn the armband in John Terry’s absence.
That seemingly heralded a debate over Cahill’s future in the Sky Sports studio after the full-time whistle, with Reds legend Jamie Carragher claiming the England international could be sacrificed to make room for a naturally left-footed defender in Chelsea’s back three – something that would give them more balance and better use of possession.
As quoted by Sky Sports, he said…
“I still think there could be a centre-back that goes into that back three. We spoke maybe 12 months ago about 3-5-2, talking about having specialists. The one position where you feel, as a centre-back, a little bit awkward is a right-footed player playing on the left of a back three.
“You always get pushed onto your left foot. It’s different to playing left-back because there you can actually go as wide as you can to the touchline because you are always coming inside on your right foot.
“When you are a centre-back you are more tucked in, maybe 10 yards off the touchline. You have seen teams at times, and they haven’t really exposed it, but they always let the ball go to Cahill on that side because it’s on his weak foot.”
Who could come in?
First of all, it’s worth mentioning that Carragher isn’t suggesting he has any insider knowledge on Chelsea’s transfer plans and it’s very much his job to be uber-critical, so Blue supporters shouldn’t take the idea of Cahill being axed and a left-footed replacement being signed as gospel. That being said, Antonio Conte will have to improve his starting XI if Chelsea are going to do what no Premier League side has managed since 2009 in retaining the title and it’s a tactical weakness worth talking about if the Blues intend to jump up to the next level. So, who could arrive?
Left-footed centre-backs aren’t a common breed but some names do stand out, not least including AC Milan’s Alessio Romagnoli who Chelsea launched an unsuccessful bid for last summer. He’s enjoyed another decent season at the San Siro and at the age of 22 represents an exciting long-term investment. It’s a similar case with Athletic Bilbao’s Aymeric Laporte, who boasts nearly 200 senior club appearances ahead of his 23rd birthday and has been rated as one of Europe’s most exciting defenders for some time. In terms of those already in the Premier League, Jan Vertonghen is probably the division’s best left-footed centre-half but a deal with Tottenham seems incredibly unlikely. Mamadou Sakho represents a curious out-of-the-box suggestion, with Liverpool ready to sell for £30million.
