Chelsea’s defence has been a serious problem this season.
Indeed, Ian Wright thinks Chelsea need a new centre-back, while Robert Sanchez has received consistent criticism for his performances in goal this season.
Chelsea are on the lookout for a new centre-half this summer, and Marc Guehi is on the Blues’ radar.
However, cast your mind back a few years, and Chelsea had a brilliant defensive unit.
Antonio Rudiger was brilliant for Chelsea, while Cesar Azpilicueta was one of the most reliable players at Stamford Bridge for a long time.
Speaking to Goal, Jamie Carragher has been comparing some of the modern day great Premier League defenders, and he made an interesting claim about Azpilicueta and one of Arsenal’s current stars.
Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
Jamie Carragher picks Cesar Azpilicueta over Gabriel Magalhaes
The pundit was asked to pick between a number of top-class defenders.
Interestingly, Carragher picked Gabriel Magalhaes over William Saliba, but, he would then go on to pick Azpilicueta ahead of Gabriel.
Gabriel has earned huge praise for his performances this season, but Azpilicueta does have the greater legacy in the Premier League it must be said.
Azpilicueta was brilliant for Chelsea for a long time before leaving the club on a free transfer in 2023.
Gabriel Magalhaes compared to Cesar Azpilicueta
Both of these defenders are modern day greats, but it’s easy to see why Carragher went for Azpilicueta over Gabriel here.
Simply put, the Spaniard has a better record, particularly in English football, than his Brazilian counterpart.
Azpilicueta won two league titles and a Champions League during his time at Chelsea. Meanwhile, Gabriel is yet to win a single trophy with Arsenal.
Gabriel Magalhaes Cesar Azpilicueta
160 Premier League games 349
102 Premier League wins 191
25 Premier League draws 82
33 Premier League losses 76
64% Premier League win percentage 55%
57 Premier League clean sheets 115
36% Premier League clean sheet percentage 33%
152 Premier League goals conceded 340
0 League titles 2
0 Champions League wins 1
Statistically, Gabriel does outdo Azpilicueta in a lot of ways, but those trophy wins are crucial to any argument like this.
Of course, at the age of just, 27, Gabriel has time on his side and the ability to overtake Azpilicueta, but, at the moment, the Chelsea legend does have the edge in this argument given how much he has achieved in the game.
Unfortunately, Gabriel is currently out injured, and he won’t be able to impact Arsenal’s chances of winning the Champions League this season.