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The 2017-2018 season that promised a new beginning for Chelsea ended in disappointment and hence, the attention will now shift to the World Cup and the players in it.
Despite winning the FA Cup, fans of the Blues would be forgiven for regarding the just ended season as something other than successful. Antonio Conte’s sourpuss demeanour, the issues with transfers, failure to retain the Premier League title and even qualify for the UCL next season means that the outgoing season will not be fondly remembered.
The after-effects of the sad story that was the 2017-2018 season are also being felt in terms by some of the players. Alvaro Morata alongside Pedro and Cesc Fabregas were unsurprisingly left out of Spain’s World Cup party by manager Julen Lopetegui
However, Blues fans can be confident about seeing up to 12 of their players playing for their national teams at the Mundial with some of them expected to play major roles in their team’s desire to do well.
Here is a look at 5 members of the KTBFFH (Keep The Blue Flag Flying High) who could be crucial to their nations’ hope of success at the FIFA World Cup.
#5 N’Golo Kante (France)
An undisputed starter for club and country, Kante will be tasked with playing a key role in a Les Bleus side that has the makings of a tournament winning collective.
The French team will be coming around with some of Europe’s finest attacking and defensive talent but every World Cup-winning team has always had the silent, hardworking individual who gives his all and is happy to be in the background while the other more glamorous players take the plaudits, step forward the breadbox Chelsea midfielder.
Widely regarded as one of the best and most hardworking midfielders in world football, Kante is expected to have a major role in Didier Deschamps’ side. Expect to see him playing in front of the centre-backs and acting as a shield for the back 4.
His energy, work rate, tackling abilities and desire to put in a shift would be of great help to the team as it is expected that this would allow Manchester United’s Paul Pogba make his trademark runs from midfield to help the attack.
Kante will be tasked with curtailing the movements of the most advanced midfielders of the opposing teams and given how he has played since he made his Les Bleus debut in 2016, France will be thankful for his bustling presence in the team.
#4 Gary Cahill (England)
Even Cahill will admit that the 2017-2018 season wasn’t his finest in a Chelsea shirt but his inclusion on the England list shows that he is still a very good defender and will be crucial to the Three Lions’ chances of doing anything at the World Cup.
Through the upheaval and trophy wins of the last couple of years, the 32-year-old has been an ever-present feature in the Chelsea team and though he looked slow and hesitant last season this season, his form dramatically improved over the last few months.
His bravery, strength, experience, aerial ability and man marking strengths would be crucial for manager Gareth Southgate to balance the centre of England’s defence where risky ball playing defenders like John Stones and Harry Maguire are expected to partner him.
He is expected to be the old head/calming influence at the back for an admittedly uninspiring England side and will be expected to once again put his body on the line in service of his nation.
#3 Victor Moses (Nigeria)
Moses may not be one of the most important players in an attacking sense for Chelsea but for the Super Eagles, he is an absolutely crucial element of the attacking play.
Nominally a wingback in manager Conte’s preferred 3-4-3 formation, the former Wigan star is the preferred right winger for Nigeria’s manager Gernot Rohr and is expected to be the senior player driving the Eagles forward at the World Cup.
Nigeria no longer has the flair players of old, so stylish football has been replaced by solidity as it is expected that the team will make itself compact and hard to beat at the World Cup while looking to use the pace of Moses to counter-attack teams.
His direct style of play, pace, ability to surge into the opposition box and crossing mean that the Nigerian team will be relying on Moses to provide a cutting edge as the face up against more technically accomplished teams in Croatia and Argentina in Group D at the World Cup.
#2 Olivier Giroud (France)
Despite the abundance of attacking talent possessed by the French team (a team that dropped the likes of Anthony Martial, Alexandre Lacazette, Wissam Ben Yedder to name a few), Giroud is almost certain to start for France at the World Cup, a proposition that normally leaves outsiders baffled.
Les Bleus manager Deschamps is a huge admirer of the Blues’ frontman and is expected to have him lead the line with the other gorgeous attacking talent in the team (Antoine Griezmann and company) using the big man as an arrowhead to draw attention away from them.
The 31-year-old has been very prolific for his country with 31 goals in 72 caps, this makes him the fifth highest goalscorer for France and with the quality around him at the World Cup, he is expected to score even more.
He has a great understanding with Greizmann and with wingers like Florian Thauvin, Thomas Lemar and fullbacks like Benjamin Mendy in the French side, Giroud will get plenty of quality deliveries which given his superb aerial abilities, have a very good chance of ending up in the back of the net.
#1 Eden Hazard (Belgium)
The standout player in a team filled with outstanding talent, Belgium will need their talismanic number 10 to be at his shimmering and shining best if the Red Devils are to finally cast aside the tag of underachievers which has unfortunately been attached to it.
Belgium is in a kind of golden age as it has players plying their trade in major roles in major clubs across the big European leagues. Manager Roberto Martinez will be eager to silence the critics and lead his team to glory for the first time ever in a major competition.
Hazard’s dribbling, passing, close control and even goalscoring will be crucial for a Belgian side which despite its crazy attacking arsenal has not shown itself to be a team that scores lots of goals in tournament football.
By deploying Hazard in a free role with Romelu Lukaku expected to lead the line, Martinez and assistant coach Thierry Henry are hoping that this would free up the Chelsea superstar to play the role of creator-in-chief while getting his fair share of scoring done.
With a stellar support cast (Kevin de Bruyne, Dries Mertens and a lot more), Russia 2018 might just be the tournament for Chelsea’s golden boy to show that he is a truly world-class talent.
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