Since the departure of former Chelsea defender, Antonio Rüdiger, there’s no doubt about the fact that the Blues have a big void to fill in their back line....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
His influence at both ends of the pitch left little to be desired and since he left, the attempt made by the club to replace his expertise has proven abortive.
Senegalese defender, Kalidou Koulibaly looked like a perfect replacement. He was signed with the hope that the experience his years in the Italian Serie A has bestowed on him would come handy.
Koulibaly has been impressive so far, but obviously, he needs to do better. He’s had a couple of shaky performances and the timing of his tackles is not really up there.
Benoit Badiashile has been somewhat of a low-key signing for Chelsea in the current transfer window and literally, not so much was expected of him. But his debut against Crystal Palace gave us a glimpse of how much difference he can make.
One major quality he assures is his ability to build play from the back. This has been a major issue with Koulibaly. Crystal Palace’s attackers pressed really high and they chased down every ball in an attempt to disrupt Chelsea’s build-up. But Badiashile was totally unfazed and he managed to pick the right passes in the midst of pressure.
The last fifteen minutes of the match against Crystal Palace was the most challenging for Chelsea as the Eagles rained in several crosses. Badiashile’s aerial prowess was put to test and he was equally up to the task.
The 21-year-old has also built a proper understanding with Thiago Silva, as they both complemented each other to great effect.
Though there is an insinuation that the pair might get exposed when faced with pacy attackers, but an attack that has Wilfred Zaha, Eberechi Eze and Micheal Olise can’t be considered as slow.
The decision is now left to Graham Potter if he would be confident enough to field Badiashile against Liverpool or bring Koulibaly back to the line-up.
Sticking to the young Frenchman looks like a risk, but it is definitely worth it. Football is not rocket science. If you are good enough, you are old enough.
