Chelsea are yet to concede a goal in the new Premier League season and Andreas Christensen has played a crucial role in maintaining the defensive stability.
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Romelu Lukaku and Reece James might have stolen the show at the Emirates. But it is important to note that the 2-0 victory against Arsenal was a second successive clean sheet for the Blues. Their defensive strength might have gone under the radar but not for Andreas Christensen. The centre-back has hailed the competition for defensive positions as a key factor in the team’s recent rearguard resilience. Chelsea are yet to concede a goal in the new Premier League season and Christensen has played a crucial role in maintaining the defensive stability. The Dane replaced Kurt Zouma in the second half of the UEFA Super Cup triumph in Belfast before featuring in the back-to-back London derby victories against Crystal Palace and Arsenal in the league.
In the weekend at Emirates, he was exceptional in the centre of the three-man defence. Andreas Christensen recorded more passes than any player on the pitch at a 94 per cent success rate, as well as winning three aerial duels and making four clearances. His individual display typified the composed and controlled performance of the overall defence, which helped the Blues secure back-to-back clean sheets in the league.
With skipper Cesar Azpilicueta returning to the side, there was a new partner to the right of Christensen. However, Trevoh Chalobah, Thiago Silva and Kurt Zouma were all unused substitutes. The strength in depth at defence offers a healthy competition for Thomas Tuchel’s boys. “Trevoh deserved to start with the way he’s been playing in the Super Cup and against Crystal Palace,” Andreas Christensen was quoted as saying by the club’s website. “He’s pushing all of us to do better.
“We have Thiago and Kurt as well so everyone is working hard. It’s only the start of the season so it’s still a tough moment, especially because we’ve all had only a short holiday. It’s difficult to get going but the team has looked good and sharp, with everyone trying to push each other.”
Chelsea’s 3-4-3 formation seemed to do wonders for them in north London. Wing-backs Marcos Alonso and Reece James were particularly impressive against Arsenal’s narrow back four. It was no surprise that James played a crucial role in the opener and ended up scoring the second himself.
Three at the back has been used quite effectively under Tuchel and the shape has been honed since the manager’s arrival midway through last season. Notably, Andreas Christensen has clocked up 19 of his 27 club appearances last term under the German.
“We just know it so well,” he said of the system. “Even the new players who have come in are familiar with it and the team is just feeling comfortable. We feel like we can play our game no matter in that system so it suits us well,” he added.
Next up will be a difficult test at Anfield for Chelsea on Saturday evening. Liverpool are also on six points from two games and are yet to concede a goal. “We’ve looked strong but so have Liverpool so we’re expecting a tough game, like always when we go there,” he added. “Both teams have looked very good from the beginning so we’ll just have to see who comes out on top.”
