5 players who could be Chelsea's next captain

Chelsea’s Captaincy Conundrum

Welcome to my first ever blog post, I’m a sports journalism student at UEL and for my first blog I decided to discuss the impending uncertainty surrounding the captaincy at the team I support, Chelsea.



JT and Lampard are great leaders, they connect with the fans and have the experience of winning multiple titles and cups as players.

However, all great careers come to an end eventually and the club is bigger than either of them. In the next couple of seasons they will be replaced, but who will take their place in the dressing room as the club faces further upheaval?

With Rafa unlikely to extend his 'interim' stay as manager, the club needs a genuine captain to lead the team on the pitch as well as Terry has done in the past, despite the off-field and personal traumas surrounding him (and the club) at the time.

So, without further ado, let’s kick off;

 5 players who could be Chelsea’s next captain:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Amarhgil

1.      Branislav Ivanovic

Despite the fact he couldn’t get a game for the first 8 months of his Chelsea career, Ivanovic finally became a first-team regular in the title winning 2009-2010 season.  As Serbia captain he certainly has the experience but is prone to making some defensive errors such as the two against Swansea a few weeks back.

Potential: 8/10

Likelihood: 7/10

Overall: 7/10

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Amarhgil

2.      Petr Cech

When Terry and Lampard don’t play Cech is the stand-in captain, but does he deserve the armband full time? The most awarded player in Czech football history, (with 6 Czech footballer of the year trophies) Cech is an imposing figure in the Chelsea goal but I would personally prefer an outfield player as captain, as I feel they have a better opportunity to dictate play on the field.

Potential: 9/10

Likelihood: 10/10

Overall: 9.5/10

http://www.flickr.com/people/60179301@N00

                                     

                                             3.      Gary Cahill

Cahill has gone from strength to strength since signing for Chelsea, winning the champions league and the FA cup in his debut season. He has certainly added to the team and English clubs do tend to pick English players as captains more frequently than their European cousins. However, he hasn’t spent a lot of time at the club and others such as Cech have been faithful servants for much longer.

Potential: 7/10

Likelihood: 8/10

Overall:7/10

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rayand/7233032314/

4.      David Luiz

The maverick Brazilian exploded onto the scene with a memorable début goal against Manchester United in 2011. He can certainly be inspirational on his day but there are question marks about his defensive qualities, with Benitez recently deploying him in midfield.

Potential: 6/10

Likelihood: 5/10

Overall: 5/10

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bensutherland

5.      Juan Mata 

The diminutive playmaker has carried Chelsea through many games this season and has easily outshone Oscar and Hazard so far. His vision is second to none and some say the best players make the best captains. He is capable of game-changing moments and is a model professional on the field.

Potential: 9/10

Likelihood: 6/10

Overall: 8/10

There has been a worrying lack of leadership at Chelsea recently and JT has been sorely missed whilst he’s been injured.  As the club comes to terms with losing legends (and massive characters) such as Drogba, Terry and Lampard maybe Cech is the man to take the team forward, as his safe hands and calm demeanour could settle his young talented team as they face the pressures of the EPL without their iconic stalwarts.

Who do you think should be Chelsea's next Captain? If you have an opinion please let me know below.