The “Special” dilemma of Chelsea's defensive pairing

Chelsea defenders John Terry and Gary Cahill

Chelsea have endured a shaky start to their Premier League campaign, although this is not reflected in the league table. They sit at third and are tied on points with second placed Liverpool, who have a superior goal difference. Part of this wobbly start has to do with problems at the back as Chelsea have leaked 17 goals in 15 matches, something uncharacteristic of Chelsea. The Blues’ centre-backs have looked vulnerable and opponents have duly capitalized, with Petr Cech looking out of sorts in front of goal. As a result, Mourinho has been left pondering as to which is his best defensive pair for Chelsea. This feature analyzes and compares the three centre-back pairs of the West London club.

John Terry and David Luiz

This was the pair that Jose Mourinho initially entrusted to ensure defensive stability and prevent opponents from scoring at will. Initially, it seemed to work as John Terry, reinvigorated by playing under Mourinho, seemed to play at the level reminiscent of his displays during Mourinho’s first tenure at Chelsea. But the problem came in the form of David Luiz’s attacking forays which made Chelsea vulnerable to sweeping counter-attacks. David Luiz, known for penchant to venture forward with the ball, committed far too many errors while having the ball and lost possession quite easily, resulting in Chelsea’s backline being exposed. As a result Mourinho had no choice but to replace David Luiz with the more traditional but reliable Gary Cahill.

On the upside though, Luiz’s attacking talent can be an asset to Chelsea in the form of free-kicks. Luiz’s flat-footed free-kicks, something he claims to have learnt from Didier Drogba, have resulted in some spectacular goals for Chelsea. Not to forget his long range strikes in last year’s Premier League and Europa League campaigns that rescued Chelsea from many a dire situation. The only flipside to Luiz’s attacking talent is the overdose of it and Luiz’s negligence of not tracking back after losing possession in the opponent’s half of the pitch.

John Terry and Gary Cahill

Early October witnessed Gary Cahill being reduced to watching from the sideline at Chelsea as Mourinho seemed to be satisfied with David Luiz partnering John Terry. In fact, Mourinho in a press conference declared that Terry had retired a tad too early from international football as the Portugese went on to say that Cahill was behind Terry and Luiz in the defensive pecking order. But Mourinho’s opinion changed quite drastically with some shambolic performances from Luiz that resulted in Cahill being restored to the lineup. Of late, a knee injury to Luiz has seen extended playing time for Cahill. Cahill has been pretty solid at the back, playing along John Terry and has not committed any glaring errors to infuriate Mourinho, who has been frustrated with David Luiz’s inconsistent play at the back.

Along with Chelsea’s longtime captain John Terry, Cahill has forged a partnership that has shown signs of stymieing opponents with defensive effort and efficiency, although not for long periods of time. This pair has been the best of the lot as Cahill seems to be more composed at the back and his decision making more assured with John Terry playing alongside him. The aerial threats of these two from set-pieces cannot be neglected as both players have scored often from headers. John Terry has been doing this for quite some time and now has a compatriot in Cahill who is more than capable of replicating Terry’s heading ability.

Gary Cahill and David Luiz

This pairing at first sight might horrify Chelsea fans but the two have put up some tremendous displays at the back in recent times, when John Terry was in absentia through injury. The first instance that springs to the reader’s mind is the night at the Allianz Arena, the venue for the 2012 Champions League final between Chelsea and Bayern Munich, which Chelsea went on to win via penalties. Club captain Terry was suspended after his rash foul on Alexis Sanchez during the semifinals against Barcelona, which resulted in a straight red card for the former England defender. As a result, Roberto di Matteo was forced to go with Cahill and Luiz, the former’s availability not certain till the last minute as he was recovering from an injury.

But Cahill eventually played, and played his heart out against a rampant Bayern Munich side, inspired in front of their home fans. The duo was rock solid till the 82nd minute when Thomas Mueller headed home. When Gary Cahill came to Chelsea from Bolton Wanderers during early January of 2011, he seemed a perfect fit alongside club captain John Terry. Cahill was Bolton’s skipper at that time and had earned the praise of the then England manager Fabio Capello. But competition for places was hot and Cahill’s initial career witnessed him playing more of Cup ties and him featuring sporadically in the Premier League. But this was to change in the near future as Cahill began featuring more often due to injuries and suspensions to Terry and went on to put in some steely displays at the back. If Luiz can curb his defensive mistakes and shows the attitude and composure requisite to play in the Premier League, this pair can be the pair for the future, with John Terry showing signs of aging.

For now and for the foreseeable future, it seems as if Chelsea’s best duo at the back comprises of the Englishmen John Terry and Gary Cahill. Both seem to have calm and steady heads and do not wilt under pressure, attributes that Mourinho admires. But do not be surprised if Mourinho rotates his centre-backs due to a hard and demanding schedule which includes a sequence of 10 games in December alone for Chelsea.