With the interest from Liverpool and supposedly 2 other unamed teams in England for our young England Left-back recently, and with the Chelsea Families views of him being split down the middle as to what we should do with him. I’ve decided to take a look at him and dissect his qualities.
What did he cost?
He cost next to nothing if you compare it to what England youngsters cost knowadays. We paid £125k upfront to Gillingham but there where add-ons which I think is we give them £50k for every 50 apperances he makes for us. I think it is all the way up to 250 appearences. There is also a percentage of next sale on the deal but I am no sure what the percentage is.
His position
I am sure it has caused many debates between the Cheslea family about what actual position Bertrand plays. I know it list’s on the interent on most places he is a Left back/Wing back however when he was younger and played for Gillingham’s youth set up he actually played as a left winger but was converted to a LB when he came to Chelsea and I believe it was a wise decision. Eventhough Bertrand is not as sound defensively as Cole which does really come down to their own strengths and weaknesses along with experience Cole has over Bertrand, but he is a very good attacking LB like Cole obviously not as good as down to the same thing of experience. I believe he can play in any of these positions, as like in the Champions League Final he played in front of Cole as a defensive left winger to counter Bayern’s wingers and wide playing style. He played with confidence which did really surprise me as I was not expecting him to play so bravely and boldly against arguably one of the Best teams in Europe.
His Style
Bertrand’s style of play is pretty much the same as Cole’s. Direct, attacking the spaces and making sure he’s available for a pass. When we are attacking he sneaks into the opponents box very well and pops up to cross or shoot. Defensively he is not sound but he is very adapt for defending and if he does need to get back he has the pace to catch up with most wingers in the league as he is not slow.
His Strengths
Compared to when Ashley Cole was Bertrand’s age, Bertrand was a better attacker but he was a worse defender. I do believe though that if Bertrand had as much first tem experience by the time he hit 23 like Cole has had he would of been as good as Cole. Cole also has the advantage of being Englands undisputed and unchallenged first choice left back for 12+ years which has also added to his experience. A list of Bertrand’s Strengths:
- · Pace – The lad has an abundance of pace about him and is one of the quickest players in the Chelsea team
- · Exploiting the spaces – He has a nack of getting into the gaps left by opposite teams, he has shown this with the goals he has scored for us
- · Never gives up – He has Cole’s attitude of never giving up which a lot of our young players are starting to show but he has shown it from a young age
- · Good reader of the game – He does read the game well as he tracks a lot of runs made by wingers who try a nip in behind him but tracks well and watches the game well and is starting to learn when to attack and when to hold off.
His Weaknesses
Ryan’s main weaknesses are his defensive abilities but they will improve with time and experience.
- · Strength – Ryan is not one of the strongest of player’s but wing backs aren’t renowned for their strength
- · Positioning – Ryan has a few times been caught out of position after being to far up the pitch or in a spot he shouldn’t be
- · Tackling – His tackling is not the best but for the experience he has had it’s not as bad as it could be, with more experience and training this will become a lot better I believe, eventhough his old Gillingham coach said he was a tenacious tackler I don’t think it’s up to scratch for the Premiership just yet but is very close.
Noteable Acheivement’s
- · He has represented the England Youth Teams from U17’s all the way up to U21’s
- · He made his debut for England against Italy on 10th August 2012
- · He played for Team GB at the 2012 Olympics
- · Was the first player to make his debut in Europe in the Champions League Final
- · He has a FA Cup Medal, Champions League Medal and a Europa League Medal
In Conclusion
As a whole I believe he is a very good player who can become an even better Left back with the correct guidance and training. With the reports of Bertrand wanting to become Chelsea’s No.1 left back I believe he can easily with a little more following and watching the play of Cole I can see Bertrand easily fulfilling his goal of being the No.1 left back at Chelsea. With the bashing he gets from a few of our fans I am really amazed and annoyed by these people, he is a great Left Back for us and always tries his best for us when he is called upon. He made 38 out of a possible 69 appearances for us this season so he must be good if has played at least half of the games available to play.
Do you believe he is worth it? Leave your views in the comment section
Batrand is good, he just needs more time….
He is some how poor in defense n can be improved tru studying cole
most of you are saying he is not good because you are comparing him to Cole who is arguably the best left back in the world, the boy has always performed when called upon to deputize the undisputed Cole and we have to give hi support, he is good and the future for us looks brilliant
He ΐѕ good but I prefer Van Aanholt to him
his crossing is dismal.
I would say he is not the perfect replacement for Cole. With our links with luke shaw, I think his future might come under scrutiny once cole retires if we sign shaw
He is good,bt i think the best cover 4 ashley is van hannolt
Please not that he played well during the uefa final cos he had cole behind him, he doesnt have good positioning…I would only settle for Betrand cos he is home grown, youth system its a pride wen you see a lad move up the ladder to first team….but for qualities even our new right back Wallace shows better promise than him
Van hannot is much better than him
The lad is good and must not be sold. Not for sale with experince he will be the best lb