Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen said Frank Lampard’s centre-back rotation has helped the defenders feel comfortable being paired with anyone.
Aside from the midfield position, the centre-back department arguably has the fiercest competition at Chelsea this season.
Since Chelsea have four centre-back options, it means two of them will often have to watch from the sidelines.
Christensen who started in Aston Villa and Manchester City games believes the competition pushes the defenders to improve.
He told Sky Sport: “We all want to play every game. All the defenders have played a similar amount of games and you feel good with whoever you’re playing with because you’ve played many games with each other.
“It’s a healthy thing, and it shows how much the gaffer trusts in each of us because when one’s lost that position, the other one has been pushing and doing great.
“It’s a very nice, healthy competition and we’re trying to make each other better.”
The Denmark international has featured in 17 Premier League games so far this season, two fewer than Kurt Zouma and two more than both Antonio Rudiger and Fikayo Tomori.
Despite the positives, however, the rotation also means Lampard has to make the decision on a match to match basis.
Having a clear preferred centre-back pair could hinder these players from having solid chemistry and deep understanding of each other’s role.
In the past, Chelsea have had clear first-choice centre-back pairs such as John Terry – Ricardo Carvalho and Gary Cahill – David Luiz.
Christensen also addressed the questions about his future, saying: “I’ve always had my eyes at Chelsea.
“I’ve had my contract, I’ve always expected to finish that and I’ve always dreamed of even more than that.
“I’ve never looked anywhere else. I’ve never doubted my situation. Obviously it was a different situation last season but I still love being here.”
Read also:
- ‘Bigger game than Arsenal’: Trippier speaks about London rivalry with Chelsea
- ‘Only thing I ask from him’: Lampard sends Mount message ahead of his battle with Rice
- Frank Lampard speaks about N’Golo Kante’s position change and midfield competition
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