Chelsea FC newcomer Antonio Rudiger is set to compete with Gary Cahill or Cesar Azpilicueta for a starting spot in the three-man defence.
The German international has made his mark playing for Serie A club Roma FC last season and Chelsea FC have done remarkably well to snatch the talented defender.
Rudiger joined Chelsea FC from Roma for a reported initial fee of £29 million on a five-year deal.
The 24-year-old is younger, stronger, faster and more agile than Blues captain Gary Cahill and fellow team-mate Azpilicueta.
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Rudiger often played as a right-back for Roma, despite his towering frame and imposing physique, due to his speed. This bodes well for him as a definite suitor for a starting spot in the team.
Rudiger, at six-foot-three, is ideal for the left center-back or right center back positions though which would put pressure on Cahill and Azpilicueta.
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It’s not certain yet what Chelsea FC coach Antonio Conte will do with his starting 11 but one would assume that Rudiger would become a starter. This could mean that Azpilicueta would be moved out to the right wing-back position which would push Victor Moses out of the starting team. Or, He could compete with captain Gary Cahill for the other center-back spot.
Complicating things, Chelsea center back Andreas Christensen has recently returned to the club from his loan at Borussia Mönchengladbach. The Danish 21-year-old comes back with much fanfare and praise after a highly successful two-year loan deal. So Chelsea FC will have five good center backs all competing for the three spots. This explains why another good center-back Kurt Zouma was recently sent out on loan to Stoke.
In my opinion, the back three should consist of Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz and Antonio Rudiger while Christensen and Gary Cahill fight it out for spots in other competitions such as the FA Cup and the Champions League.
This all leaves manager Antonio Conte with a rather pleasant headache to solve- who to pick for the various competitions,
It has also divided the opinions of many fans:
Harsh to drop Moses at RWB but surely rudiger will start and you can't drop azpi luiz or Cahill.
— James G. (@JGarland120489) July 24, 2017
Rudiger played recently for Germany in the Confederations cup where he helped win the tournament with some impressive displays.
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He should also be making his debut in Chelsea’s upcoming friendly against Bayern Munich.