Should Jose Mourinho Consider Indefinitely Dropping Gary Cahill for Kurt Zouma?
Four months into his west London tenure, with John Terry suspended, Gary Cahill started possibly the biggest game of his career. Assisting Chelsea to victory in the 2012 Champions League final, the English international will always have a special place in the hearts of Stamford Bridge faithful.
Recently, however, Cahill has come under fire.
Lacklustre displays from the Blues' back four vs. Tottenham Hotspur on New Year's Day highlighted areas of improvement Chelsea needed to make, with Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic being the main culprits.
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The following two matches saw change from Jose Mourinho. Cahill was rested in the FA Cup vs. Watford, and received another spell vs. Newcastle United in the Premier League, taking his place was 20-year-old Kurt Zouma.
Bought from AS Saint-Etienne last January for £12.5 million, the French centre-back appears worth every penny. Still developing, Zouma has hardly put a foot wrong at the back, and he has made some wonder whether Mourinho should use him on a more permanent basis.
Often seen as the long-term replacement for Terry, Zouma may serve as the short-term replacement for Cahill.
Chelsea, while powerful, are not known for having the quickest of centre-backs. Terry has never been confused for a speedster, likewise Cahill. The two Englishmen's best qualities depend on mental acuity and selflessness. Normally in the correct defensive position, the pair will throw themselves at anything to block shots on target.
While valiant, Mourinho does lack one quality at the back every side needs: pace.
Stamford Bridge has seen a new Blues squad this season as compared to last. The more attack-minded west Londoners are given more freedom in wide areas to exploit space and create width, this charge is taken up mostly by full-backs.
Having their support often 30 yards advanced, when the opposition breaches midfield, Chelsea's centre-backs are usually on islands. Nemanja Matic has played his part in protecting such infiltrations, but the Serbian is not infallible—and occasionally teams break through with speed on goal.
This creates a problem for the positionally adept, but on-the-slow-side, Chelsea centre-halves. Terry and Cahill would much rather deal with long balls coming into the 18-yard box aimed for an Andy Carroll, than small pacey customers, like Raheem Sterling, running at them.
Situations like these call for both power and pace—something the Blues have in Zouma.
Arguably the Premier League era's best centre-back, Terry has one quality Cahill lacks by comparison, that being leadership. At 34, the Chelsea captain should be given every opportunity to enhance Zouma's development in games.
Being a more natural athlete than either of his older team-mates, the 20-year-old Frenchman still has many tricks of the trade to learn about the English game: One could have no better tutor than Terry.
Mourinho should look at his defence, see the only quality missing and address it. If Chelsea are trying to become a more free-flowing outfit, committing bodies forward to score goals, the notion they themselves will not suffer via counter-attacks is nonsensical.
Normally the best ways to stymie counter-attacks are having players willing to either commit professional fouls or possessing the requisite pace to deal with oncoming attackers. At present Mourinho has the first option, but not the second.
Zouma's indefinite inclusion would signal a change in the way Chelsea view their defence, and one could argue fresh ideas and/or legs are needed.
*Stats via WhoScored.com; transfer fees via Soccerbase.com where not noted.
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