Gary Cahill

[CurlyHairLikeLuiz 1,625]

He should at least be rested for a few games, Zouma can easily fill his shoes for the interim and it will be valuable experience for the fella. Also bench Ivan indefinitely or retrain him as a CB, we are only cheating ourselves by not using Azpi on the right.

Recall Bertrand for next summer please, no need to spend when we have our own in house one ready as a backup.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

I have never seen such dramatic drop in form in recent times since Torres, he went from being one of the best defender in the league and Europe last season to one of the worst this season. The need for a new top class CB has become crucial than ever. Cahill, while I do rate him more than most on here, is simply not talented and good enough to be a starting CB for a big club with aspirations in the long run.

Glad it's not just me who's seen this. Last year he was absolutely class. I've been critical of him nearly all season, but people were practically calling me insane for saying so. The penny seems to have dropped, though the most disappointing thing is I was advocating Luiz's sale based on Cahill's form last season....

[Special Juan 28,099]

Have some balls and drop him for Zouma, it's very very simple.

[robsblubot 3,595]

Don't think that's the point of the discussion.

We are merely thinking ahead. We are considering, before it happens, whether our once successful CB pairing will remain as successful as Jose changes the system; whatever helped them last season (deep line, protection) may not be the same this time around. By the end of last season our defense line wasn't as sharp (results and goals conceded against nobodies attest to that) and I reckon it was because the protection wasn't as sharp either - they were more exposed.

Cahill's weak technically... His long balls are pretty poor, and he usually just doesn't every try them. He's got an OK first touch, adequate for a no-nonsense CB, but he's got to give the ball to a teammate ASAP esp when under pressure. These are limitations that can be exploited - it's never binary like some here say: solid non-solid/liability, mistakes vs no mistakes.

He's a good player, but hardly a top CB for me. Godin is twice the player IMO. I'd have gone for Godin instead of Luis, because for me Atletico's spine was formed by Courtois, Godin, and Costa. Their midfield was good too, but more about hardworking players than quality.

Way back then a number of us warned about this. * shameless self-quoting on my part.

Cahill is not in bad form; he's playing his usual solid, decent, game. The protection around him is what has changed and he is struggling because he's now very exposed to attackers pace, skill, and power. It was no accident that he was doing so well for Chelsea last season and then suddenly, not so well for England.

Again, he's not a terrible player, but he's not and never will be (at 29) world class either. As Terry ages and loses pace and power, we will need a proper replacement. Perhaps it's already past due as Terry shouldn't be playing twice a week+ as he has done lately. I think we missed out on Godin, but as we change the system, perhaps we want a different type of defender: a ball playing one, like Luiz, without Luiz eccentricity.

[Oscar 441]

Time to reinvest the luis money into 2 cbs

[iseah100 5,612]

Why the fuck didn't we go for Benatia?

[Vybz Kartel 1,613]

I know this is a bit on the mean side, but the best thing for him right now is a short term injury like. 2-3 week one in jan when the fixtures are less since it's clear Mourinho won't bench him, the rest could help him reflect

[Styles 9,790]

I know this is a bit on the mean side, but the best thing for him right now is a short term injury like. 2-3 week one in jan when the fixtures are less since it's clear Mourinho won't bench him, the rest could help him reflect

I know this is going to sound bad but I was hoping he would get a ban for kicking Kane yesterday.

[Jase 43,479]

I know this is going to sound bad but I was hoping he would get a ban for kicking Kane yesterday.

Funnily enough, the media hasn't run a campaign on that.

[Styles 9,790]

Funnily enough, the media hasn't run a campaign on that.

He's English. It's why he has the reputation he has with Chelsea fans, the media and even neutrals.

If it was Zouma he'd have been charged by now.

[Jase 43,479]

He's English. It's why he has the reputation he has with Chelsea fans, the media and even neutrals.

If it was Zouma he'd have been charged by now.

Maybe. Had Terry done that instead...

[The Chels 2,502]

Sigh. No ban for Cahill.

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11668/9629457/premier-league-chelseas-gary-cahill-to-escape-fa-punishment-for-harry-kane-incident?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

[Bir_CFC 3,455]

The problem is simple and I've mentioned this before. Our CBs can't defend proactively.

People talk shit about Kompany and Koscielny is because they make some mistakes, but more often than not they make the tackles themselves instead of asking their midfielders.

Really wish we had got Benatia, he's amazing at that imo. Proactive defending.

[MichaelDance 552]

Sadly we really really do need to do something before it's too late.

[Clevemayer 764]

There was a time we had Carvalho