Watching Chiellini made me miss playing – England have no one like him
Defender’s masterclass to defy Spurs was a joy to watch but also highlighted Southgate’s dearth of options for Russia
Chiellini’s reaction to intercepting Son’s cross made me jump out of my seat and applaud Would you associate any of England’s centre-backs with the performance the Italian delivered?
What would Gareth Southgate give to
have a defender like Giorgio Chiellini in his World Cup squad?
Where is England’s Chiellini? Who among the centre-backs in Southgate’s squad could produce a performance of Chiellini’s calibre in that last 20 minutes against Spurs at Wembley on Wednesday night? There is nobody close. That is a worry going into the World Cup. When England find themselves under pressure, holding on to a lead in a tight game, who will step up like the Juventus centre-half?
Whatever happens in the Champions League this season, Chiellini’s reaction when intercepting the cross from Tottenham’s Son Heung-min will be one of the competition’s enduring images.
It was a moment that made me jump out my seat and applaud the television screen.
The closing stages of a knockout tie, the game delicately poised, and the Juventus centre-half in the right place at the right time to make a critical intervention in his six-yard box.
Then the fist-clenching celebration between Chiellini and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. I loved it.
Not because I took delight in Tottenham going out of the competition – I would have liked to see them go further – but because of the joy of seeing such worldclass defending. Paulo Dybala may have scored the winning goal, but I am sure everyone in that dressing room was thanking Chiellini.
Chiellini’s performance made me realise what I miss most about playing.
There is nothing more satisfying than getting through at a tough European venue when your side have been under the cosh. That is where you earn your money as a centre-back, not by looking elegant by spraying 25-yard passes from your own half in a home game, where the nearest opponent is 10 yards away. Twenty-minutes left, one goal the difference between you and the next round, the opposition swarming all over you, trying everything. This is the ultimate test; not just of your skill, but stamina, concentration and courage. You know they will come at you in every way, trying to attack full-backs, going directly through midfield or hitting long balls into the box as they become more desperate. As each move breaks down, you have to gather your thoughts and prepare for the next attack, praying for that final whistle.
You would get back to your hotel room after those games and collapse on the bed with mental exhaustion. Job done.
Of course you need maximum effort on domestic duty, too, but it was an entirely different level protecting an advantage in Europe, where one mistake will be punished and that could determine qualification.
When I look back on my career, it is the last-gasp interceptions on those nights we secured a narrow victory in a European away tie that delighted me most.
Chiellini would have slept soundly on Wednesday night after his masterclass in organisation and resilience during those last 20 minutes. As the game entered the closing stages, I said to my son: “Just watch Chiellini. Watch everything he does.”
He pushed the defence up when Spurs moved the ball backwards and eased them deep when necessary; his physicality – putting his body into every challenge – was perfectly judged, even making sure he craftily left the odd swaying arm on Harry Kane after every tackle.
It was not just about defending well. It was about being streetwise – reacting in the right way at every moment. When it mattered, that proved the difference between the sides.
Spurs were the better team over two legs, but they lacked ruthlessness and composure in defence at critical moments.
They conceded twice in the first nine minutes in the first leg, and then twice in three minutes at Wembley. They gave away two penalties in Turin, and Juventus should have had another in London. You cannot make these lapses in concentration and go through.
In contrast, once Juventus had the advantage in the latter stages, they showed how to see a game through, led by Chiellini.
This is a skill I do not see in the current crop of England defenders.
Some people call this “old-school” style defending. It is not. It is just world-class defending.
Such qualities may only seem less fashionable because there are fewer centre-halves capable of playing in this way.
During my era, England had John Terry, Rio Ferdinand,
Sol Campbell, Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate. They were leaders, defenders who could get their clubs through those torturous last 20 minutes to protect a lead.
Who can step up now? Chris Smalling and Phil Jones have spent eight years at Old Trafford, but they have never been able to emulate Ferdinand or Nemanja Vidic. Eric Bailly is United’s best centre-half.
United have an excellent defensive record, but I attribute this to Jose Mourinho’s organisation more than the personnel. How he would love another partnership like Terry and Ricardo Carvalho, one of the best in Premier League history during the Portuguese’s first spell at Chelsea.
The best centre-backs in the Premier League today are from overseas.
That is why Liverpool paid Southampton £75 million for Virgil van Dijk.
Jan Vertonghen at Tottenham is another I admire and Manchester City’s Nicolas Otamendi has improved, demonstrating an aggression I do not see in the English centre-backs.
John Stones has looked more reliable this season, but it was telling when Pep Guardiola picked his side for the Carabao Cup final, he preferred Vincent Kompany. For all Kompany’s injury problems, he is still the class act at City.
I admire Stones, like Eric Dier and Harry Maguire, but they are ball-playing centre-backs, rather than front-foot, aggressive defenders. They do not play with the intensity I see in the top European defenders.
There is an increased demand for multi-functional centrehalves. You have to be comfortable easing out of the back and technically gifted enough to pass through midfield.
Our academies are focused on breeding defenders like this, but has it gone too far in one direction at the expense of the basics?
No matter where the game goes, managers will treasure defenders with the ability to put their body on the line and protect a one-goal lead away in Turin, Madrid or Munich.
Would you associate any current England centre-back with this kind of performance?
When the World Cup qualifiers reached their climax in November, there was much concern that Argentina and Portugal would not get there.
“The competition will be poorer without Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi,” was the observation. Fortunately they made it, but this week showed us who else will be missed due to Italy’s absence.
The World Cup will not be the same without Giorgio Chiellini.