Kurt Zouma

[The Skipper 20,593]

We have played 10 matches in 2015:

Cahill started 6 times: Spurs,Swansea, Villa, Watford, Bradford, Liverpool(h)

Zouma started 6 times: Newcastle, City, Everton, Watford, Bradford, Liverpool(a)

Zouma have been very convincing this year, I wonder if he would start against PSG.

Who would you name in the starting eleven? I think we should go with Cahill in Paris. Gary is usually very tough at big games, I still trust him.

Depends on how we set up. If we're going low block, then I'd say Cahill. However if we set up more proactively and with a higher block, then Zouma is 200% the better option.

[iseah100 5,612]

Him and Varane could be the best partnership for 10+years

[rantdeville 195]

The limit for this kid is incredible...I feel like this is but the tip of the iceberg, he is absolutely fearless.

[The Skipper 20,593]

I remember at the start of the season when people who've never watched Zouma before said that Kalas was better and Zouma should've been loaned instead. Glad that he's proving everyone that did think so wrong. He's been fantastic.

[Styles 9,790]

Zouma was great again. Lukaku got practically nothing out of him besides that one turn and even then Zouma recorved well and won the tackle.

The kid is magnificent and the sky is the limit. Even his passing which was widely derided is nowhere near as bad people said it was.

I remember at the start of the season when people who've never watched Zouma before said that Kalas was better and Zouma should've been loaned instead. Glad that he's proving everyone that did think so wrong. He's been fantastic.

And in that game we played most of game with 11 men behind the ball and were camped inside our own defensive third. Not to take anything away from Kalas but he didn't really have to do much. It's the same tactics that have fooled people into thinking Cahill is a world-class defender.

[yuvala 2,167]

Great yesterday, really.

[mikeholiday 209]

Mangala who?

[Rekin 835]

Who would be a good partner to Zouma? While Terry to me is perfect, he wont last forever and I doubt Cahill is meant to be his replacement.
While we have talented youngsters in some positions, I do not think too highly of the CB's.

While I was contemplating writing my opinions about him I quickly jumped into WhoScored to check his stats, and found that they just wrote a piece about him:
http://www.whoscored.com/Articles/prctsqqm_u2iw_l_mht6da/Show/Player-Focus-Happy-and-Committed-Zouma-Has-Potential-to-Become-Chelsea-Stalwart

So, he has yet to be dribbled past in the league, and has shown himself to excel Cahill in tackles and interceptions (although sample size is still small).
He seems to be rather impossible to beat on the ground. The articles mentions that he has been dribbled past only seven times in 69 league games throughout his career. This includes the games where he was still 18 (in which season he actually wasnt dribbled past even once).


He is quickly becoming one of my favorite players. 2014 might just go down as the best year of transfers for Chelsea ever. Zouma, Luis, Matic, Costa, Fabregas and to some degree Courtois.

I personally think that Real wont let go of Varane, so I really wonder who the new player might be (as Im convinced we will buy one). Some young centre backs that I think would complement Zouma are (although Im not at all for having two very young CB's right away) Laporte (although he seems physically weak to me and would be too expensive) and De Vrij (lazio might not let him go after just one season). Caulker would not be terrible either (although Im not fully convinced yet).

[manpe 10,861]

Who would be a good partner to Zouma?

Nikola Maksimovic, Höwedes, Subotic, Hummels?

[kellzfresh 7,229]

Is there anyone else who thinks it's fun watching him pass the ball as if he's thinking...

"open your body shape, bend foot outwards, move foot towards the ball, strike ball with instep in the direction of your teammate, keep "concentration face" at all times"

[Styles 9,790]

Who would be a good partner to Zouma? While Terry to me is perfect, he wont last forever and I doubt Cahill is meant to be his replacement.

While we have talented youngsters in some positions, I do not think too highly of the CB's.

I personally think that Real wont let go of Varane, so I really wonder who the new player might be (as Im convinced we will buy one). Some young centre backs that I think would complement Zouma are (although Im not at all for having two very young CB's right away) Laporte (although he seems physically weak to me and would be too expensive) and De Vrij (lazio might not let him go after just one season). Caulker would not be terrible either (although Im not fully convinced yet).

Nikola Maksimovic, Höwedes, Subotic, Hummels?

Andreas Christensen.

[lucio 5,418]

Andreas Christensen.

maybe in a few years. But I still think kalas will make it, and be our future captain

[CurlyHairLikeLuiz 1,625]

maybe in a few years. But I still think kalas will make it, and be our future captain

if not at the very least coming in as 4th choice CB for Cahill if we buy Varane. Deserves a chance here, depending on his loan spell I guess..

Give Ivan 1 more season at RB and then if Terry buckles he can be the experienced CB to be paired with Kalas/Varane/Zouma

[supporter 3,088]

Repost from "Is Kurt Zouma the New Desailly?".

http://forum.talkchelsea.net/topic/20020-is-kurt-zouma-the-new-desailly/#entry1058840

Sorry if I upset someone by my repost. Excuse me.

Kurt Zouma is already a reality. A TOP Centre-back for the next decade.

If I had to compare him with other Centre-backs I would choose Desailly, Carles Puyol and Samuel Kuffour, and for his great speed of reaction with Gallas.

1. Very fast to the shock, very fast in anticipation, in reaction and its movements on the pitch.

2. A very blunt player. Zouma defends in a similar way like Carles Puyol. Very strong when he attacks the rivals, but forcefulness without aggressiveness. I think Zouma is a player with great nobility in his way of playing. He is not a player who can be prone to red cards. He is aggressive without violence, and that will allow him to be a great player because he will accumulate very few yellow and red cards.

3. Now he plays quiet. At the beginning of the season he played doubting himself. Kurt is now full of confidence. He plays like a veteran, he is not afraid to make important decisions.

4. Zouma plays with intelligence. He never is precipitated in his actions, and expects the best time to attack the balloon.

5. He has an impressive jump. It reminds me, and not just physically, Samuel Kuffour (Bayern Munich 1996-2005). He has a power and forcefulness similarly.

6. It also has a mind that lets you learn very quickly. In just a few months training every day with Jose, Kurt has improved his performance spectacularly Better and better every day. His future with us will be spectacular. In addition, he has a great mental strength. After his failure at Old Trafford, the most normal thing was that he would have been demoralized. However, this mistake has made him mentally more stronger. It is not easy recover from a failure in a great match for such a young guy.

I think Zouma is no longer a promise, Zouma is already a reality, a great reality. A TOP Centre-back for the next decade.

Zouma will be part of our history. Jose`s player 100%.

We can be very happy and proud of Kurt.

Regards to ALL.

[DH1988 1,276]

Makes the same mistakes as Cahill for me but has the speed/physicality to get himself out of trouble.

Everything we feared in pre-season he's improved on.

Prefer Zouma to start against PSG and makes logical sense seeing as he has experience playing against them same as Gary etc. but there really is no reason for Gary to start over him.

[Gilvorak 3,734]

Think Stones will be our next target.

[The Skipper 20,593]

Zouma - Stones would be very solid for years. Stones is the perfect replacement for Terry/Ivanovic tbh.

[BlueLyon 9,359]

Nikola Maksimovic, Höwedes, Subotic, Hummels?

Is Maksimovic good? Heard about him but never watched torino...

And please no subotic. The guy was mister dependable, the better part of pair with Hummels. He was reason why Hummels who was always kinda Luiz 2.0 never got stick and subotic rescued Bvb and Hummels many times. But he become realy bad. Now bvb still has Luiz in Hummels while another luiz in subotic. Their defense is shit, their gk is bad too. I wouldnt take anyone from their team atm, not to pair with Zouma atleast.

While Hummels is good cb, he needs someone reliable to drag him out of shit many times. Zouma on other hand needs a leader, someone who is reliable.

Godin would be my pick, but he isnt exactly brilliant with ball. Varane is not an option IMO and Laporte is too young. We need experienced reliable leader to pair with Zouma and Terry is fine for now, but eventualy it will be very hard to find proper replacement. Though it has to be said, Mou knows how to pick defenders quite well.