B/R Exclusive: Gary Cahill and Kurt Zouma Hunting Chelsea Glory
Had Gary Cahill remained a Bolton Wanderers player, he would be preparing for a Championship slugfest with Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.
Instead, the Englishman is looking forward to another cup final appearance with Chelsea.
It’s been an incredible three years for the defender who, in the next few months, could claim every major honour in European club football should the stars align and Chelsea lift the Premier League and Capital One Cup.
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Shortly after moving from the then-Reebok Stadium to Chelsea for a mere £7 million in January 2012, Cahill lifted the FA Cup and Champions League trophies.
He wasn’t just a squad player in those victories, either. Cahill was vital to that Chelsea team back then, and he remains a key part of what Jose Mourinho is recreating in west London.
“My ambition is to obviously [win everything I can]. I think that I’m blessed enough to have won the three trophies I have since I’ve been here and [the League Cup] is one I haven’t got,” he told Bleacher Report.
Cahill spoke at a Chelsea media day, an event laid on by the club ahead of their showdown with Tottenham Hotspur in the Capital One Cup final on Sunday.
If he’s feeling nervous or apprehensive, you wouldn’t know it. Despite the chaos that a mixed zone brings—video cameras and dictation machines thrust into the faces of players, questions fired their way like they’re coming from a Gatling gun—Cahill’s calm, taking things in his stride.
It’s that approach that has seen him flourish in the centre of Chelsea's defence alongside John Terry.
Indeed, there’s a debate as to how much of an influence Cahill has had in helping prolong Terry’s career.
With Cahill as his regular partner for the past 18 months, the Terry of old has returned. The unpredictable and erratic nature of playing alongside David Luiz didn’t suit him, but the dependable and consistent Cahill has struck up one of Europe’s strongest defensive partnerships with the Stamford Bridge stalwart.
“It’s gone exactly the way I would have hoped it would go,” Cahill said, reflecting on the impact he has made in west London.
“When I first came to Chelsea, I realised there is an expectation on everybody here and history proved that this club wins trophies. I wanted to be a part of that. Thankfully, I’ve worked hard, got in the team and I’ve played my part.”
If winning trophies at Chelsea wasn't enough of a challenge, Cahill may well be facing an even bigger one right now—winning the battle for supremacy with Kurt Zouma.
The French youngster has come to prominence since the turn of the year, putting in the types of performances that make managers sit up and take notice.
Mourinho has done just that. The Portuguese manager played Zouma in some key fixtures, notably the Capital One Cup semi-final second leg against Liverpool.
And given how his season is going, Zouma himself is in a positive mood as Sunday’s final fast approaches.
“I’m very excited," he said. "We have to win only. We have to win and we have to be ready for the game."
“When I signed here, I knew that the club wants to win some titles," Zouma added. "We want to win everything and we can win three trophies this season. But we have to be ready and we have to be proud that we’re in this position.”
Like his more senior team-mate Cahill, Zouma is a balanced character. He’s not long turned 20 years old, and despite living in England for under a year, his English is near perfect.
He is as eloquent off the pitch as he is on it. He refused to be dragged into a game of making Sunday’s final a revenge mission after Spurs humbled Chelsea on New Year’s Day in the Premier League.
“The first game at home against Spurs this season, we won 3-0, so it’s not about revenge,” Zouma explains.
“It’s better to win 3-0 than 5-3, so it’s not about revenge. We just want to win this game against Tottenham.”
So who starts at Wembley? Cahill or Zouma?
Despite Zouma’s recent emergence, it’s difficult to look beyond Cahill. He’s the man with the experience, and despite a drop in form since December—incidentally after he went off injured in that 3-0 home win over Spurs—he is still a reliable figure to have around the place.
Besides, he knows Wembley better than any other player on each side. Indeed, it’s become like a second home for Cahill given how often he plays at the famous stadium for club and country.
When Cahill reflects on what the Capital One Cup means to him, we’re reminded of how far he has come.
Cahill isn’t a back up, he’s a first-choice centre-back of considerable means. He’s comfortable in the situations that Wembley will throw at him.
“It’s a big game. It’s a final. And at this club, I’ve got used to playing in them,” the Chelsea man said.
“For us as players, it’s a massive occasion. Any final is a massive occasion, and this is one we want to do well in.
“Up to now, I’ve won the Champions League, the Europa League and FA Cup and there are two more I haven’t got that I really want. There’s an opportunity to do that on Sunday, and all the lads are looking forward to what’s going to be a huge game.”
Zouma’s recent performances have sent out the right message for where his Chelsea career is headed, and before he heads off to shower after training, he has an equally candid statement for Chelsea fans: “We’re confident and we’re ready to win.”
Harry Kane and Spurs will have something to say about that, but with the likes of Cahill and Zouma on the scene, it’s no wonder Mourinho’s men believe it will be their year.
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes
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