According to BBC pundit Dion Dublin has urged Chelsea manager Frank Lampard to find replacements for both Andreas Christensen and Kurt Zouma.
The former Aston Villa striker does not believe either player is cut out to be a centre-back at the highest level and he feels that if the Blues are to win the Premier League, Lampard will need to improve his options at the back:
“I think defensively, they’re not quite right. Zouma’s not going to help Chelsea win the title or Christensen. If you think about Premier League title-winners, you can name the two centre-halves. You have to have a keeper, two centre-halves and the rest is all luxury.”
Experienced centre-half Thiago Silva will likely slot into the backline on a regular basis when he is fully fit but it remains to be seen whether the Brazilian’s introduction will be sufficient to improve the team’s defensive record.
Both Zouma and Christensen have had their critics over the past year, and it will be interesting to see which of them is paired with Silva.
Christensen’s sending off against Liverpool means he will miss the Carabao Cup tie against Barnsley this evening but he will be back in contention for the league match against West Brom this weekend.