CHELSEA enjoyed a mostly-successful first season under the leadership of Frank Lampard – but his defence was a real cause for concern.
The Blues finished fourth in the Premier League, while also reaching the FA Cup final.
Lampard could be forgiven for having mixed feelings at the end of the 2019-20 campaign.
He would certainly have been happy to reach the goal set out by the board of gaining Champions League qualification.
But Lampard has also stressed the importance of tightening up at the back on a number of occasions.
Despite finishing fourth in the league, Lampard’s defence conceded more goals than any other team inside the top ten.
Some have suggested there is an issue within the club’s coaching.
And while I agree the coaching side of things needs to improve, the goals-conceded issue is largely about personnel, or lack thereof…
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Chelsea’s four centre-back options failed to stand out last season.
Not one of them stood up and said to Lampard, ‘I’ll be your main guy… and you can rely on me.’
All four of Kurt Zouma, Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger and Fikayo Tomori showed a lack of confidence at times.
None of them played to a high enough standard to now be considered indispensable to Lampard.
The biggest problem has been the defending of set-pieces.
Despite boasting decent height, opponents have found it all too easy to score from crosses.
Too many times we have seen Chelsea easily sliced open at the back – and this is purely down to a lack of leadership and organisation at the back, as well as a distinct lack of experience.
For these reasons, Chelsea must sign Thiago Silva on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain.
The Brazilian international, 35, has been heavily linked with signing for Chelsea, and for me, this is a no-brainer.
In Silva, you immediately add experience, leadership and a player who can control the backline.
Defending crosses is not necessarily always about being a beast in the air.
Instead, it is about positioning, communication, and reading the game.
Silva has years of top-level experience and knows exactly where he needs to be – and exactly where those around him needs to be.
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He reads the game perfectly and can foresee the danger around him.
Simply put, Silva is the Lionel Messi of defending.
The Brazilian has been PSG captain for some time and although he isn’t the tallest defender, he is still an absolutely colossal presence.
Chelsea’s best-performing centre back from last season, Zouma, would really be able to progress playing alongside Silva – as would Tomori and Christensen.
In fact, Silva could be exactly what Chelsea’s defenders need to step up their own game and go from just-above-average defenders to top-quality stars.
Having an influential figure like Silva next to them, guiding them through the season, would be invaluable.
It would actually remind me of the time when John Terry came through as a youngster and was mentored by the great Marcel Desailly.
A partnership of Silva and one of Zouma or Tomori could prove to be a real recipe for success.
