Andreas Christensen – Overlooked and undervalued but to me outstanding.

Andreas Christensen has been quite simply outstanding under Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea but is often overlooked for the likes of Toni Rudiger and Thiago Silva as part of Chelsea’s defensive line. 

Chelsea’s Academy was the focus of attention for years before the likes of Mason Mount, Reece James, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Tammy Abraham, and Fikayo Tomori were thrust into the limelight last season. Before these guys came to the fore, the club had high hopes for a young Danish defender who they had invested heavily at such a young age. 

Featuring in the Chelsea first team after a two-year successful loan spell in Germany, Christensen could never really hold down a place for several reasons. Whether it was the manager in charge at the time, or some sloppy errors in-game, it looked as though Christensen would have to settle for a place as a squad player for the most part. You would be better placed to bet on the best au online casino rather than on him at the time. 

However, his head never dropped, he kept working hard and has been rewarded by Thomas Tuchel with an extended period in the first team as part of his three-man defence. If anything, the manager now has a decision to make regarding Cesar Azpilicueta and what position within the team the Chelsea Captain would play as Reece James has been impressive on the right. 

Now I can imagine that the Chelsea fanbase worldwide would be torn between naming Andreas Christensen in their starting eleven for Azpi instead but, as time moves on, it should become clear that Christensen should be considered first-choice. 

He has hardly put a foot wrong under Tuchel. Think of the Champions League final, he was named on the bench and came on as a first-half replacement for the injured Thiago Silva and gave an impeccable performance. 

Christensen has a calmness about his game, he has a different approach to Toni Rudiger for example who prefers a more physical approach, whereas Christensen will use his positional awareness to give him an advantage. 

He is quick, has good ability with the ball at his feet, is good in the tackle with excellent timing, and his game has matured into something that everyone inside the Chelsea academy could see all those years ago. 

The problem is, he still does not receive the credit that I believe he deserves which is hard to believe based on his performances. Let’s hope he continues to grow and develop his game to become one of the best in the world because, for me, he is already on the right track.