Andreas Christensen hasn’t had an easy ride at Chelsea but he’s finally beginning to prove John Terry’s bold prediction about him was right
A lot of the credit following Chelsea’s victory at The Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon was directed at the dominant return of Romelu Lukaku, with the forward quite rightly awarded the Man of The Match award by Sky Sports.
Reece James wasn’t far behind in the running after he bagged himself a goal and an assist, while Mason Mount, Marcos Alonso and Jorginho all churned out excellent displays in the win over Arsenal.
However, one player who seems to have gone under the radar a little is Andreas Christensen.
The Dane was quietly excellent in the middle of Chelsea’s defence as Thomas Tuchel’s men made it back-to-back clean sheets to kick off their Premier League campaign.
As the game entered the latter stages, Christensen was always on hand to prevent Arsenal’s frontline from mounting a serious attack and he ultimately proved pivotal in the Blues ensuring their 100% record remained intact.
Christensen has always been deceptively quick and as such he’s not afraid to move into the channels where his pace is more likely to be tested.
This is a great asset for any sweeper to have and his ability on the ball means he’s able to progress the play from deep and find passes into Chelsea’s attackers.
As the Gunners opted for a more direct brand of football later in the game, Christensen was just as efficient in his work when called upon. The Denmark international won three aerial duels and completed four clearances as Mikel Arteta’s side started to turn up the heat.
The physical side of Christensen’s game has been questioned in the past when challenged by more direct opposition, but under Tuchel he’s silenced any doubters and has become one of Chelsea’s most consistent players.
Having graduated from Chelsea’s academy back in 2013, the Dane has been forced to fight for his place in the first-team setup and has looked to be on the brink of leaving Stamford Bridge on a number of occasions.
Even as recently as the past couple of years has his future at Stamford Bridge been called into question, with Frank Lampard using him as little more than a squad rotation option.
Christensen’s journey to becoming a regular first-team starter at the Blues has been like something out of a film – it’s not been easy, he’s had his doubters but he’s finally proving everyone wrong.
Following his 2012 move from boyhood club Brøndby, Christensen was named in the 23-man squad for Chelsea’s final game of the 2012/13 season against Everton.
Despite not making his debut against the Toffees, his evident talent saw him handed his first professional contract.
Christensen was finally handed his Chelsea debut in the 2014/15 League Cup, yet his appearance was from a watershed moment.
Two appearances as an unused substitute and a 12-minute cameo in the final game of the season – a routine win against Sunderland with nothing to play for – were the closest he came to Premier League action that season.
In typical Chelsea style, the club opted to send the youngster out on loan. Fortunately, Chelsea opted for Borussia Monchengladbach.
The Bundesliga has not always been the fertile ground for developing young talent that it is today, and Christensen was arguably one of the trendsetters in terms of moving on loan to Germany in a bid to further his career.
Quality in abundance, self-assurance on the ball and an unassuming physicality to complement, Christensen adapted to the Bundesliga instantly.
Despite numerous attempts by Monchengladbach to sign their 2015/16 Player of the Season permanently, Chelsea refused, and the Danish centre-back returned to West-London looking to finally make an impression on the Blues’ first team.
Inconsistency was the main theme of his return. That’s not to say his performances lacked quality, but rather the Chelsea managerial merry-go-round meant he fell victim to various tactical changes.
The 2017/18 season finally saw Christensen making strides in the first team. The Dane featured 40 times for the Blues, winning the Young Player of the Season award. However, a back injury hindered his progress.
The arrival of Maurizio Sarri was arguably the most influential factor in Christensen’s development stalling. The former Napoli boss opted for a centre-back duo of David Luiz and Antonio Rudiger, meaning Christensen featured in just 15 games – only two of which were in the Premier League.
Equally, game time under Lampard was limited, with the Chelsea legend prioritising the development of both Fikayo Tomori and Kurt Zouma.
Christensen has had to prove his worth at Chelsea, and he hasn’t always been given a fair chance in the first team, though the arrival of Tuchel has seen the ‘Danish Maldini’ finally show us what he can do.
Rotating between Christensen and the experienced Thiago Silva has seen Chelsea’s backline become one of the meanest in Europe, and both of the aforementioned players have stepped up whenever they’ve been called upon.
The perfect example of this came in last season’s Champions League final victory over Manchester City, as Christensen was brought on for the injured Silva.
The performance he put in having came off the bench at a moment’s notice was nothing short of world class and was a key facet to Chelsea’s victory.
The Chelsea faithful have always believed Christensen had the talent to prevail at Stamford Bridge, with even legend John Terry predicting big things for the Dane in his early years at the club – he just needed a manager who believed it too.
Expect this season to be the one where he establishes himself as one of Europe’s best.
