Gary Cahill Has Reinvented Himself as Chelsea's Captain Marvel
On the back of Chelsea's New Year's Eve victory against Stoke City, Antonio Conte was asked whether he could give one reason for why his team continues to roll from one win to the next.
The 4-2 win at Stamford Bridge was the Blues' 13th consecutive Premier League victory. It continued their remarkable club record of straight wins while equalling Arsenal's, which is the league's best.
"In these situations, there are many things that help you to reach this type of result," Conte responded. "Not only one. If there were only one reason, it would be very easy for all. I think there are many things that happened for us to have this great achievement.
"In football, it's very important to have the balance always. If you're overly defensive, it's not good, and too much offensive, the same—it's not good. You need the balance between the two. In my opinion, you can have more probability to win the game with that."
Managers also need the right sort of characters in the dressing room. They need players like Gary Cahill.
The Englishman scored the game's opening goal to give Chelsea the platform they needed to go on and seal the win. His header wasn't particularly memorable, but the desire he showed to beat his man and power the ball into the corner was.
Cahill has been captain for all 13 of Chelsea's games in this incredible run of form that has propelled them to the top of the table and made them title favourites. With no John Terry or Branislav Ivanovic in the side, the responsibility has fallen to him to be the leader, and he hasn't shirked it once.
The 31-year-old's ability to pick himself up from the setbacks he has faced this term have shown us a player who embodies everything Conte wants in his team. He's endured errors and own goals, yet here he is, still influencing matches in the right way and forming a big part of what Chelsea are achieving. Cahill is a fighter.
His dip in form in the early part of the season saw a toxic backlash targeted at him. Cahill was being made a scapegoat by a social media mafia attempting to find answers for Chelsea's demise.
The answer wasn't just one player, though. It was a collective responsibility, as the Blues struggled to adapt under Conte in the early days of his reign. The system wasn't working, and the problems of old were continuing to haunt them. For Cahill, there was more to it than just formations and a style of play. His position was under serious threat.
When David Luiz returned to the club in the summer, it was Cahill we were expecting to be dropped. He would have felt that too given Terry's standing at Stamford Bridge. It was why he expressed his anger at referee Andre Marriner after the Blues drew 2-2 away to Swansea City in September.
Cahill was upended by Leroy Fer midway into the Chelsea half, but a free-kick wasn't given, allowing the Swansea man to run through on goal and score. "That kills me and kills my team," Cahill told Sky Sports at full time.
The point was clear. With Conte still trying to find his best team, Cahill was under enough pressure. Then he felt the referee sold him short and Chelsea dropped points on the back of it, drawing 2-2. With a new £30 million defender sat on the bench, incidents like that are enough to persuade a manager to make changes.
Terry's injury in that game gave Cahill a reprieve, and a few weeks later, it wasn't just Terry's position he was taking from him but the armband as well. Since early October, he's played over 1,150 minutes as Chelsea captain, and he hasn't lost a game.
As Conte said himself, there's much more to it than one player. It's not because Chelsea are being led out every week by Cahill that they're not losing matches. Equally, his captaincy has told us so much about Cahill as a player and a character in the dressing room.
His own goal against Manchester City didn't knock him, either. As Chelsea forced their way back into that game, Cahill himself faced his demons and overcame them.
That's what we saw against Stoke on Saturday. The game was in the Potters' favour until Cahill headed home after 34 minutes. The pendulum swung back and forth many more times before the 90 minutes were up, but a breakthrough was needed to give Chelsea a platform.
Diego Costa and Eden Hazard weren't in the game enough, and when that happens, every side needs another player outside of their match-winners to take some responsibility. It fell to the captain, and he did what was needed.
Even after five years as a Chelsea player, Cahill is still being questioned. He's not a man for the glitz and glamour away from the game. And as a defender, he doesn't get the recognition or endorsements that would give him a significant public profile.
We're still judging him on his pathway to the top, and we shouldn't be. He came through at Aston Villa but had to join Bolton Wanderers to get regular football. Cahill was in his mid-20s when he got his big break, and by that stage of any player's career, ideas of hitting the heights he has have often long faded for most.
Cahill's shown that his past is irrelevant. He's won every trophy possible in top-level professional club football in England, and if things continue as they are, he'll add another Premier League winner's medal to his list of honours. And he'll do so wearing the captain's armband.
There have been so many surprises coming out of Stamford Bridge this term, with Victor Moses' reinvention being the best of them. It's time we rethought Cahill's story and added him to that list, as he's proving to be Chelsea's Captain Marvel.
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes obtained first-hand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes.
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