Cech Blow Casts Further Doubt Over Chelsea Rearguard

So Petr Cech is out for a month before a competitive ball has been kicked. The setback is typical of a player haunted by a constant battle with his body which appears to break down with alarming regularity but also sums up the lack of security that Fantasy Managers can find amongst Carlo Ancelotti’s celebrated back five.

That Chelsea defence was second only to United’s in terms of clean sheets last term and will likely be vying with them and perhaps Liverpool, for the same accolade in the coming season. Capitalising on this from a Fantasy perspective is far from easy however given that there are injury or rotation concerns over every leading candidate available…

While Cech has continually struggled to offer the security of a 38-start keeper that you get with Liverpool’s Pepe Reina, the likes of John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho have also had their season’s interrupted by persistence injury setbacks. Neither hold back in the challenge and seemingly neither have bodies that are able to withstand the wear and tear of a Premier League season. A absence of 5-10 matches is almost expected from them each term.

While Alex provides a very able plaster to patch up the gaps they leave behind, the Brazilian remains the third option for Ancelotti, unable to claim a regular role and therefore only a short-term option in Fantasy terms.

With the centre-back situation prone to injury frustration, at full-back we have different concerns. Both Branislav Ivanovic and Ashley Cole are headline acts that demand our attention going into the season but both look vulnerable to rest should Ancelotti decide to up increase rotation in his squad.

Jose Bosingwa is yet to regain full fitness but will surely press Ivanovic for the right-back spot once he’s proven his availability. To a lesser extent Yuri Zhikov is a clear and present danger to Ashley Cole’s starts. While this situation appears less fraught, Ancelotti nonetheless has the “Zhirkov option” pre and post Champions League encounters which could see Cole’s starts cut down the 30-32 mark.

That number of games will still be enough for Cole to deal damage and star again this term, particularly if he continues to raid down the left with Florent Malouda or Salomon Kalou tucking in centrally. Mr Cole at least offers us something he couldn’t offer Cheryl then – a degree of reliability and security. As Cech has already proven with his training ground injury, that’s something we’re struggling to find elsewhere in the Chelsea rearguard.

The question that Fantasy Managers will need to ask now is whether we should even risk the initial investment in Cole given Cech’s absence. Ross Turnbull and Henrique Hilairo are poised to compete to step in but, as we’ve seen in the past, the loss of Cech can cause disruption that suddenly casts doubt over Chelsea’s clean sheet prospects – even against the most mediocre of opponents.