Gary Cahill

Gary Cahill
Image from: sportsclub.co.za

Gary Cahill





Current Club: Chelsea.

Previous Clubs: Bolton Wanderers, Aston Villa.

Loan Clubs: Sheffield United, Burnley.





International: England 60 caps 5 goals.

Trophies Won: UEFA Champions League 2011/12. English Premier League 2014/15, 2016/17. FA Cup 2012, 2018. League Cup 2015. Europa League 2012/13.





Cahill's main strength can also be a weakness at times. Over and above anything his heart and desire to win the ball at all costs, no matter the risk, can lead to him making great blocks or scoring headers where no one else would put themselves. However it can also cost in terms of injuries, sometimes to himself, sometimes to others as he ploughs through in a determined effort to get to the ball. His defensive positioning can be suspect at times, as he gets distracted by his desire to get to the ball, but in the main is decent.



The main problem Cahill has is his lack of pace, as he has got older he has become an old-fashioned lump of a centre back, who lacks the speed off the mark to cope with faster, tricky forwards. His acceleration and ability to change direction is particularly lacking now, though it has never been a strength of his anyway.



Technically he is very good, with a very good, clean, striking technique, which can be seen in some of the goals he scores. The problem is that Cahill does not trust himself to play out from the back, the way he should be able to with his technique, and so he is not someone you can describe as a ball-playing centre back. Cahill will not back his ability to play a difficult pass or bring the ball out from the back. That, particularly now he is slowing down, really limits his effectiveness for a side like Chelsea.



For me, he would be at his best if he stepped down to become the leader of a team with less ambition. His willingness to run through brick walls for a team will not be counteracted by his inability to play out from the back. Already his place is starting to be taken by Antonio Rudiger, it might be time for him to look at moving on, if he wants to be a regular first choice player.