Chelsea Football Club lived up to the lofty expectations that new manager Antonio Conte placed on them after a dismal tenth place finish last season, beating West Ham 2-1 in a relatively dominant performance from all aspects of the team.
One of the big talking points going into the game was how the defense would cop after their was a lack of additions to a defense that allowed 53 goals (13th worst) over the course of last season. Michy Batshuayi coming in certainly helped relieve any pressure Diego Costa might get this season while N’Golo Kante seems to be the catalyst the midfield needed to revitalize its lost form. But, the one major hindrance the team faced was its defensive proficiency, or lack thereof.
The team was able to cope for this first game, though, largely due to the form of N’Golo Kante, Nemanja Matic, Eden Hazard, Willian and Oscar, who kept Chelsea on the attacking end for much of the game and played a high energy, pressing game whenever losing the ball.
Branislav Ivanovic looked better, clearing four balls and making runs forward, while Cahill and Terry remained solid in the back, having high efficiency in passing as they completed 89.7% of their combined passes, clearing five balls and making two interceptions. Azpilicueta, Chelsea’s most highly regarded defender, earned Chelsea a penalty and completed 93.1% of his passes, also totaling a tackle, interception and block over the course of 90 minutes.
While Chelsea were able to withstand the pressure of a weakened West Ham side, they were exposed at times and will need a significantly better backline to compete with stronger forward lines that the Premier League has in Sergio Aguero and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Conte was said to have a £140 million spending spree lined up with a little less than two weeks left to complete transactions, and if all of that is spent on defenders, that would be no bad thing. Chelsea have been linked to various players, and they likely would want to replace Ivanovic and potentially Cahill or Terry depending on who they are playing, so the £140 million could go very far in strengthening their title challenge.
Kalidou Koulibaly
Beginning with the rumor that just won’t seem to end, Chelsea have been linked to Koulibaly, a Napoli defender, since the start of July. The latest report has seen Chelsea’s £42 million bid fall short of what Napoli wants, but Chelsea remain hopeful of securing a deal for the Senegalese defender. In this ongoing saga that feels eerily similar to what Chelsea brass had to go through for John Stones last summer, Koulibaly would likely be the best option for Chelsea considering his age and talent.
Koulibaly, 25, was a strong defender for Napoli, as he totaled 2.5 tackles per game, 2.5 interceptions per game, 3.6 clearances per game and an 85.9% pass completion rate on an average of 71.4 passes per game. All of this came over the course of 33 appearances (32 starts, one substitute appearance) out of a possible 38. Koulibaly would likely slot in as a center back and would provide a higher talent level in the back than Cahill, while also give an aging Terry the ability to rest and remain healthy for much of the campaign.
Shkodran Mustafi
For much of the summer it has been believed that Mustafi has been on his way to rival club Arsenal, but it appears, after the move was close to being completed, Arsene Wenger and the Arsenal brass have put it on hold, having yet to submit an improved bid for the defender.
Shkodran Mustafi deal stalling as Arsenal yet to make increased bid for defenderhttps://t.co/7HIBW31nFG pic.twitter.com/ln3WhiILIa
— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) August 15, 2016
Earlier this summer, it was rumored that owner Roman Abramovich would be willing to pay Valencia’s asking price of £30 million for the German defender, with Conte viewing him as a viable target. With Arsenal yet to submit an improved bid, Chelsea could potentially pursue Mustafi with the Koulibaly deal currently stalling.
Mustafi had a very strong La Liga campaign with Valencia last season as the 24-year-old center back was able to produce 2.7 tackles per game, 4.4 interceptions per game, 5.3 clearances per game, while getting his name on the scoresheet twice and accumulating a 81.3% pass completion percentage on an average of 47 passes per game. A cheaper alternative to Koulibaly, Mustafi would be as much of a welcome to a relatively depleted Chelsea backline and would shore up a shaky center back pairing.
Nikola Maksimovic
Maksimovic is a new name to join Chelsea’s list of defenders they have been linked to this summer, and the addition is certainly an interesting one to say the very least. Napoli are currently viewing Maksimovic as their ideal target to replace Koulibaly and seem to only be willing to give up Koulibaly if they acquire the services of Maksimovic. Torino seem reluctant to sell, but Maksimovic took actions into his own hands this week, as the defender has reportedly skipped various practices and is not in contact with Torino in hopes of forcing a move away.
Maksimovic, 24, is a center back who is equally adept at playing in the midfield. Only appearing in 16 games in Torino’s 2015/16 Serie A campaign, the Serbian international remained potent as he was able to 2.6 tackles per game, 3.9 interceptions per game, 3.4 clearances per game, while accumulating one assist and a pass completion percentage of 84%.
The biggest positive that Maksimovic would hold is the fact that he is used to playing in the three center back formation that Conte utilized heavily both during his spells with Juventus and Italy. Projected to end up playing very similarly to Leonardo Bonucci.
Maksimovic is somewhat similar to Bonucci, very good passer used to playing in 3 CB defense- I rate him highly https://t.co/Q77iB0w9ZT
— David Amoyal (@DavidAmoyal) July 27, 2016
A sleeper in the defensive sweepstakes, Maksimovic would by no means be a step down from the options Chelsea are currently considering.
Jonas Hector
A transfer rumor that arose shortly after Chelsea’s 2-1 win over West Ham, Chelsea look to be targeting German international Hector as a way to solidify their wing back depth. Conte is said to be launching a £20 million bid for the left back despite him having extended his contract with Cologne just days ago.
While Azpilicueta has been accustomed to playing on the left side for much of his time at Chelsea, he is naturally right footed and a shift to his original position of right back would likely be seamless.
Hector, 26, made 32 appearances for Cologne last season, and strived. Hector was able to average 1.9 tackles per game, 2.4 interceptions per game, 2.4 clearances per game, 1 dribble per game, while also doling out four assists and a pass completion percentage of 81.8%.
While this move could be risky due to the success the Azpilicueta has seen on the left side, Hector could shore up Chelsea’s backline to the extent that both wings would be covered with strong defensive presences in himself and Azpilicueta.
