Centerbacks: The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Better Central Defender

• Chelsea has put itself in a very peculiar situation. The Blues came into the 2021\/22 campaign with six centerbacks in their ranks. Only two (Trevoh Chalobah and Malang Sarr) were under contract beyond this season. Fast forward to the end of January and the club has managed to get two individuals to put pen to paper on new deals. Chalobah and Thiago Silva have both extended their stays in SW6 beyond the current campaign. The former\u2019s contract now expires in the summer of 2026. Meanwhile, the latter continues to take things step-by-step with another one-year deal. It doesn\u2019t take a rocket scientist to notice the exclusions from this conversation though.\nThe three defenders that Chelsea are guaranteed to house next season are very capable and exciting additions to any team. Nevertheless, the focus now remains on those who are set to become free agents. The Blues\u2019 foundation at the back is just a few months away from being uprooted. Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger are now free to hold discussions with other European clubs about a pre-contract agreement. Chelsea supporters are worried\u2014to say the least\u2014and the club\u2019s hierarchy should be, as well. As the winter transfer window nears its end, there has seemingly been little progress made in extension talks with the trio. This could prove to be a massive issue for Thomas Tuchel, but not all hope is lost just yet.\n\n \n \n Related Story:\u00a0Tactics and Transfers: Escaping January and preparing for Chelsea\u2019s future\n \n \n\n\nHere are the latest news updates from three of the most reliable sources around the club (Fabrizio Romano, Matt Law and The Athletic) regarding Chelsea\u2019s out-of-contract centerbacks:\n1. Cesar Azpilicueta\nIf one were to survey supporters on the internet, Azpilicueta would have likely been on his way out a few seasons ago. This isn\u2019t due to a lack of love for the captain, but he\u2019s been rumored to be \u201con the decline\u201d for the last few seasons. Of course, we all know this isn\u2019t even close to being the case.\u00a0The club captain, even at 32, looks incredibly comfortable playing in the starting XI a few times per week. Azpilicueta has been an important piece in Tuchel\u2019s team since the German\u2019s arrival last January. Therefore, it\u2019s difficult to even imagine a Chelsea side without the Spaniard in it.\nAzpilicueta has played in 27 matches already this season, breaking club records along the way. He\u2019s not as impactful as Reece James when lining up as a right wingback, which is probably where the falsified tales of his demise came from, but he\u2019s still obviously got a huge part to play.\nWhy have the Blues let his contract talks come to this when they know how important he is to the squad\u2019s overall success? Simply put, it\u2019s nothing out of the ordinary for Marina Granovskaia. In a recent article, Liam Twomey of The Athletic compared Azpilicueta\u2019s contract talks to club legends that came before him. Namely John Terry and Frank Lampard. Both of the aforementioned Chelsea \u00a0icons went into May before signing their last deals. This isn\u2019t to say a potential new contract would be Azpilicueta\u2019s last, we\u2019re just nearing the back end of a legendary career.\nBoth sides are said to be incredibly comfortable, despite the delicacy of the situation. Azpilicueta is focused on his football and the club trust its captain will not hold talks with other clubs. There are obviously suitors for the Spaniard should he not extend. Barcelona is one of the many clubs reportedly interested in signing the versatile Chelsea defender, but it\u2019s unlikely he leaves the club. Azpilicueta is a beloved figure in west London and both he and his family love life in the English capital. Overall, the most important thing to the 10-year veteran is playing time though. If Tuchel cannot promise his captain minutes then a departure starts to look possible. It\u2019s very unlikely the situation comes to that though, especially considering how often he\u2019s played this year.\nPrediction: Extends\n\n \n Next:\u00a02. Andreas Christensen\n \n"},"title":"Latest updates on Chelsea's out-of-contract centerbacks","permalink":"https:\/\/theprideoflondon.com\/2022\/01\/25\/latest-updates-chelseas-contract-centerbacks\/2\/","shortCodeTitle":null,"content":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tLONDON, ENGLAND \u2013 SEPTEMBER 25: Andreas Christensen of Chelsea claps the fans following the Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on September 25, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill\/Getty Images)\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n2. Andreas Christensen\nAzpilicueta is not the only Chelsea defender drawing interest from Spain. According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Barcelona and Bayern Munich are amongst the many clubs monitoring Andreas Christensen\u2019s contract standoff with the Blues. The Dane\u2019s situation has changed almost every day since the two sides began talks, which is enough to have any Chelsea supporter on edge. There was reportedly a verbal agreement on an extension toward the end of last season into the summer. As we know though, talk means very little in football. Nothing is finalized until the player pens his name on the dotted line. Now his renewal is in question.\nThe Telegraph\u2019s Matt Law confirmed on the London Is Blue Podcast that the defender\u2019s representatives are engaged in discussions with other European clubs, unlike the two other defenders in this piece. This is either a serious bluff from Christensen\u2019s camp or he is actually preparing to leave SW6 after a decade with the Blues.\nThe reality of the situation is Christensen has largely failed to cement his place in the starting XI. His in-game replacement of Thiago Silva in the Champions League final symbolized what many thought to be a literal passing of the torch. The 25-year-old had been phenomenal all season long, including in the Brazilian\u2019s absence, but he was on the outside looking in for the most part. This season was supposed to be the campaign in which he finally broke through and became a stalwart piece for the Blues at the back. Christensen has seemingly always hovered between the starting team and the bench. He has yet to make himself completely undroppable, despite playing for four different managers since returning from his loan to Borussia Monchengladbach in 2017.\nThe same goes for this season. Christensen has been fantastic when he has played, the other defenders have been just as good though. Silva has made himself absolutely necessary to the line-up. Unfortunately for the Dane, his contract situation has also contributed to his lack of appearances in recent months. Trevoh Chalobah, Malang Sarr and Azpilicueta have been able to step in and play extremely well.\nIn a way, Christensen\u2019s contract holdout has worked against him. It\u2019s shown Tuchel and the club that although he is a fantastic young centerback, he is not as irreplaceable as his representatives tried to make him seem. It\u2019s no secret that Christensen loves Chelsea and if he had things his way, he\u2019d likely opt to stay and finish out his career in the English capital. That\u2019s unfortunately not how these things work. Christensen\u2019s camp contacting other clubs is a huge hint as to how this saga is going to end. The defender\u2019s maturity and respect deserve some mention too. While he may leave in the end, it\u2019s become abundantly clear he won\u2019t join another English club. That is commendable.\nPrediction: Departs\n\n \n Next:\u00a03. Antonio Rudiger\n \n","title":"Latest updates on Chelsea's out-of-contract centerbacks","permalink":"https:\/\/theprideoflondon.com\/2022\/01\/25\/latest-updates-chelseas-contract-centerbacks\/3\/","shortCodeTitle":null,"content":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tChelsea\u2019s German defender Antonio Rudiger celebrates scoring his team\u2019s first goal during the second leg of the English League Cup semi final football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, in London on January 12, 2022. (Photo by GLYN KIRK\/IKIMAGES\/AFP via Getty Images)\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n3. Antonio Rudiger\nI\u2019ve saved the best for last. Antonio Rudiger has established himself as one of the world\u2019s best centerbacks over the last year. To say he\u2019s excelled under Tuchel\u2019s tutelage would be a massive understatement. The German defender has blossomed into a more well-rounded and confident player since the Blues brought in the former Paris Saint-Germain manager 12 months ago. Rudiger went from being on the verge of leaving the club to arguably being Chelsea\u2019s most important player in the blink of an eye. No, that\u2019s not an exaggeration, the veteran\u2019s transformation has been unbelievable.\nIt\u2019s not just a stint either, he\u2019s maintained this amazing form for Tuchel\u2019s entire tenure, seldom putting a foot wrong throughout. Rudiger has gone toe-to-toe with some of Europe\u2019s best strikers during that stretch\u2014players like Karim Benzema, Harry Kane and Luis Suarez\u2014and he\u2019s more than held his own against each and every one. There aren\u2019t enough positive adjectives in the Oxford English Dictionary to describe the impact Rudiger\u2019s had on this Chelsea side lately.\nAll of this being said, how has the club possibly let Rudiger\u2019s name end up on this list of expiring contracts? It\u2019s not as crazy as it sounds in the end given his status under Frank Lampard. However, he\u2019s proven at this point that he can sustain this excellent level of play. Rudiger\u2019s done it in a back three and a back four. He\u2019s played all across the back line as of late, proving all of his doubters wrong in the process. The German has been superb, no matter the situation.\nThe 28-year-old is preparing to sign what is likely going to be the last major contract of his career. Therefore, when you couple that with the fact he\u2019s played so well lately, it\u2019s no wonder he wants his next club to offer him a boatload of money. Rudiger deserves it.\nGranovskaia drives a hard bargain, but at this point she needs to loosen up a bit. Rudiger has been respectful enough to the Blues to not talk to other clubs during the season. He wants to focus on football and helping the team while his agents handle the rest. Similarly to the other two, there is something that needs to be said for that. This is especially true considering the likes of Bayern Munich, PSG and Real Madrid have flirted with the German international.\nIt seemed only a few weeks ago that he was definitely going to leave. The two sides hadn\u2019t talked extension in quite some time, but things can change in an instant in football. Chelsea and Rudiger have recently reopened negotiations and the tone of the talks seems positive. There is now a general feeling around the club that the superstar centerback will end up re-signing with the Blues in the coming months. This would be a massive statement from the board that it backs Tuchel. Rudiger gives Chelsea the best opportunity to win trophies as the side is always undoubtedly better with him in it.\nPrediction: Extends\n\n \n \n Next:\u00a0Are the Chelsea attackers being judged too harshly as of late?\n \n \n\n\nWhat do you think happens with each player? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!"],"useSlideSources":true,"themeType":"classic","prevPost":"https:\/\/theprideoflondon.com\/2022\/01\/24\/chelsea-attackers-judged-too-harshly\/","nextPost":"https:\/\/theprideoflondon.com\/2022\/01\/26\/looking-back-year-one-thomas-tuchels-chelsea-reign\/","prevText":"Prev","nextText":"Next","buttonWidth":0,"buttonWidth_post":0,"postUrl":"https:\/\/theprideoflondon.com\/2022\/01\/25\/latest-updates-chelseas-contract-centerbacks\/","postId":97060,"refreshAds":true,"refreshAdsEveryNSlides":1,"adRefreshingMechanism":"javascript","siteUrl":"https:\/\/theprideoflondon.com","prevText_post":"Prev post","nextText_post":"Next post"};(function ($) $(document).ready(function () try tpsInstance = new tps.createSlideshow(tpsOptions); catch(e) );(jQuery)); (function () // create the elements and set all attributes:var conversationScript = document.createElement('script');conversationScript.setAttribute('async', 'true');conversationScript.setAttribute('src', ' _NmUXHpyU');conversationScript.setAttribute('data-spotim-module', 'spotim-launcher');conversationScript.setAttribute('data-post-url', ' -updates-chelseas-contract-centerbacks/');conversationScript.setAttribute('data-post-id', '0c4caadfe631217c5c60a2c0cb51529e');conversationScript.setAttribute('data-spotim-multi-instance', true);conversationScript.setAttribute('data-article-tags', 'andreas christensen, antonio rudiger, cesar azpilicueta, Chelsea');conversationScript.setAttribute('data-disqus-url', ' -updates-chelseas-contract-centerbacks/#!');conversationScript.setAttribute('data-disqus-identifier', '97060 =97060');// append the elements to the container:var container = document.querySelector('#comments-wrapper-97060');container.appendChild(conversationScript);)(); Top StoriesThe Pride of London 1 yearLooking back at year one of Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea reign

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