The Cobham graduate has a bright future ahead of him. Despite the enormous sums of money spent in the summer and the hiring of former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino, it’s been another miserable season for Chelsea Football Club....CONTINUE READING THE ARTICLE FROM THE SOURCE
That said, while the performances have been far from ideal, the West Londoners have been incredibly unlucky with injuries.
According to GIVEMESPORT, they have lost the fifth most days through injuries this season, a staggering 1443 days. There were a few more names added to the Blues’ injury list following their 2-2 draw with Aston Villa on Saturday, including veteran centre-back Thiago Silva and Axel Disasi.
Therefore, with few other options, Pochettino must be brave and hand an academy graduate just his second start of the season.
While Chelsea’s team is characterized by an abundance of young, promising but ultimately inexperienced talent, Silva stands out as one of few regular starters who has seen it all in football, be that league triumphs outside of England, World Cup campaigns with the Seleção, or even the Champions League won by the Pensioners just three years ago.
The 39-year-old has been a crucial part of the West Londoners set-up over the last couple of seasons, both for his impressive on-pitch performances and the example he can set to his younger teammates around him.
For the majority of this season, the former AC Milan ace has been just as vital to Chelsea’s fortunes as he’s ever been, making 34 appearances across all competitions and, most crucially, starting 76% of the club’s league games in which he’s averaged a match rating of 7.05 from Sofascore and 6.73 from WhoScored to boot.
Unfortunately for the Blues faithful, the injured defender, who was described as “above everybody” by former manager Graham Potter, has almost certainly played his last game for the club, as on Monday it was announced he would be leaving at the end of the season.
While it would be a desperately sad way for the icon to leave English football, Pochettino has no time to dwell on it and must select the veteran’s replacement for tonight’s derby against Spurs, and the answer might be an academy gem endorsed by none other than John Terry.
The youngster in question is centre-back Alfie Gilchrist, who has made 15 first-team appearances across all competitions this season for Pochettino, with four being starts, one of which coming in the league.
Now, that start may have come in the Blues’ embarrassing 5-0 defeat to Arsenal last week, but it would be entirely unfair to form an opinion of the 20-year-old on that one display against arguably the best team in the country, especially when he has a ringing endorsement from one of the best defenders in Chelsea’s history, Terry.
The Blues icon waxed lyrical about the Cobham graduate earlier last month, saying, “Alfie Gilchrist, he’s a really, really good player. He’s got an unbelievable attitude. He performs so well on a daily basis, does everything right. I think he’s got a good chance.”
Moreover, while the Kingston upon Thames-born gem is relatively green at the senior level, he has a wealth of experience from his time in junior football, making 83 appearances across the U23, U18 and UEFA Youth League sides, captaining the U21s last season and being nominated for the PL2 Player of the Season award to boot.
Ultimately, there is obviously an element of risk in handing Gilchrist his second league start ever in a game against Tottenham, but with Silva and Disasi now out of the picture, Pochettino has few other options, and with the backing of Terry, there is every chance that the boyhood Blue might grab the opportunity with both hands.
