Josh Acheampong has featured in all three games that new Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior has been in charge of.
Acheampong started in matches against Arsenal and Charlton Athletic and came off the bench in the win over Brentford last Saturday.
The defender will now be hoping for another start when Chelsea take on Pafos in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
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Chelsea’s list of first-team centre-backs
Levi Colwill
Wesley Fofana
Trevoh Chalobah
Benoit Badiashile
Tosin Adarabioyo
Josh Acheampong
Trevoh Chalobah of Chelsea celebrates scoring his team's goal with teammate Wesley Fofana
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Chelsea have been predicted to finish outside the top eight by Opta’s supercomputer, which would see Acheampong and Co have to take part in a play-off tie.
Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Brentford
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Josh Acheampong feeling the pressure in the middle
Under Rosenior, Acheampong has moved into midfield from defence at times, a task that comes with its challenges.
According to the 19-year-old, it can get really congested in the middle of the pitch once heading to that area from the right-back position.
In an interview for Chelsea’s matchday programme, which has been shared by Chelsea’s official club website, Acheampong said: “He [Rosenior] said that he thinks I have the profile to do both. So if I have to play inverted full-back, centre-back, right-back or wide, he said that I can do it.
“I think when you’re playing inverted, you’ve got to be more wary. Obviously there are a lot of bodies in the middle of the pitch so sometimes you might not be able to take as many touches and it’s quite congested. When I’m on the right, there’s a bit more freedom, a lot more one-v-one situations, and opportunities to get crosses and shots away, which I think I can definitely get better at.”
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Jamie Carragher quote on Liam Rosenior's tactics
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As a young and talented footballer, with more coaching, you would expect Acheampong to fully adapt to Rosenior’s system and idea of football.
Acheampong has some big admirers in the game, but he will not be going anywhere, not even on loan. Chelsea’s current stance is that Acheampong is unavailable during the current transfer window.
Josh Acheampong of Chelsea during the Carabao Cup Semi Final First Leg match between Chelsea and Arsenal
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Josh Acheampong’s future likely to be in central defence
At Chelsea, Acheampong came through as a right-back and it is undoubtedly a position that he can play in.
However, standing at 6’3″ at just the age of 19, he is practically built to play in central defence. Acheampong is also great on the ball, able to pass it out and carry it forward. In the future, he could become a very good ball-playing central defender.
As Chelsea continue to scour the market for a centre-back, perhaps they already have what they are looking for in Acheampong. For now, though, it looks like Rosenior will be using him at right-back.
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