GG8
Well-Known Member
Reducing a conversation on depth to simply counting the numbers of defenders is pedantic, misses the point and is useless.
The key questions when talking about depth is does the squad have the level of quality in starters and backups to achieve the goals the club wants to achieve that year and as bingo points out what is the spread of the depth because just looking at "defenders" is too broad to really give an accurate indication and can be quite misleading.
thehulk is arguing a strawman for the most part because just about everyone was specifically saying in the summer we lacked depth at CB. No one said we lacked depth at FB.
The difference between Zouma and Chambers last summer was that Zouma was a proven quality at CB. With Chambers we had no idea what position Wenger even intended him for. I posted the quote from Wenger when we signed Chambers with Wenger basically saying he envisioned Chambers as a DM. It sounded like Wenger, in the summer, thought Chambers might be this year what Coquelin turned out to be.
Going with a 20 year old who has started over 50 games at CB and was generally considered one of the best young CB prospects in the world as your 3rd CB is much safer than going into the season with no established 3rd choice CB and hoping for either one of your fullbacks covering or converting a 19 year old RB who you envision as a DM into a CB.
I didn't just reduce it to numbers though, what I meant was OUR opnion of the players suitability at playing different roles is really a factor, it's wether Arsène feels they can do it. Bingo said Monreal was the worst defender at the club last year, this year he has been one of our best and has played at both LB and CB. Arsène see what we don't, he didn't just miscount his squad or say **** it I'll take a gamble on just 2 players for CB. He knew what he had available and felt it was adequate.
As we have seen in his time here, he has no issue with moving players around the field when required.
Chelsea play a RB at LB, play a CB in midfield at times. Liverpool play a midfielder in a back 3, Utd have played midfielders in back 5's and back 4's. You can't have 22 top class players and two for each position, it isn't maintainable. Otherwise you end up like City and have Sagna on the bench earning £100k+ a week and not getting a look in.
We were a CB light starting the season, I would agree to this, but having seen AW play all three of CC, NM and MD in there I can see why he felt we had adequate cover.
I would say Chelsea went into the season being one FB light. If the injuries were on the other foot, if they lost Azpi for the entire season and his ability to play on either flank, they would have had 2 FB's and no cover. That's hardly a sign of depth is it?