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Andreas Christensen shows how Chelsea's loan system can pay off
According to Sten Christensen, Antonio Conte told Chelsea technical director Michael Emenalo that his son Andreas was even better in the flesh than on television after the central defender’s first training session under the Italian this summer.
Like most Chelsea fans, head coach Conte had only been able to keep up with Christensen’s progress via video highlights while the highly-rated Dane completed his two-year loan at Borussia Monchengladbach.
Conte, who knows a good defender when he sees one, was encouraged by what he saw and Christensen has already made an even bigger impression since returning to Chelsea. But the acid test could arrive on Saturday. If, as Conte has suggested, he deputises for the suspended David Luiz against free-scoring Manchester City, Christensen will be only the fifth Chelsea academy graduate in nearly 15 years to start three or more Premier League games.
City have netted five or more goals in each of their last three Premier League games, although Sergio Aguero will miss out after being injured in a car crash.
Christensen is well versed on the dangers City pose, having played against them four times while at Monchengladbach. The Germans were drawn against the Manchester club in the Champions League in each of his two seasons out on loan. In those four games, Monchengladbach conceded 11 goals to City. But rather than fearing the prospect of facing their attacking might again on Saturday at Stamford Bridge, the experiences just whetted Christensen’s appetite to keep testing himself against the best.
The 21-year-old can also take encouragement from the fact that in his last appearance against City, Monchengladbach managed a 1-1 draw. “It was great experience to play against City, they were big games,” said Christensen. “I haven’t got the best results against them yet, but, hopefully, that will now come. It was in the Champions League, I was a young player on loan. It was what I wanted and it was good for me, big games against the best players.
“I was facing top strikers in the Bundesliga and that was a new thing for me then as well. It helped me to know what will hopefully come more often in the future and that’s something I’m looking forward to. I want to play against the top, top strikers.”
Chelsea’s army of loanees have understandably attracted scrutiny for many years now and further questions were raised this summer about the decisions to let Tammy Abraham and Ruben Loftus-Cheek go and play elsewhere for the season. But Christensen is perhaps the perfect example of how young Chelsea players can benefit from going out on loan.
Before joining Monchengladbach, he had made just three senior appearances for Chelsea since signing from Brondby in 2012 – in the League Cup against Shrewsbury Town, the FA Cup against Bradford City and as a substitute in the Premier League against Sunderland. But after two years away, Christensen returned to Chelsea with two full seasons of Bundesliga football with Monchengladbach under his belt and 11 Champions League appearances.
Having played twice in the Champions League for Chelsea this season, Christensen has made two more appearances in the tournament than 23-year-old City defender John Stones, who Chelsea tried to sign two years ago.
“Facing the strikers in the Bundesliga and two years in the Champions League as well, got me so much experience,” said Christensen. “And Chelsea kept looking after me, getting the videos and texting every week and every day about how I was doing. Eddie Newton and Paulo Ferreira did a great job with me.
“But you have to take responsibility for yourself as well and do what is best for you. You can’t expect everything to be given to you and you have to perform when you get the chance. The club (Chelsea) could not have done any more than they did in terms of helping me on the right path.”
It is not just football experience he gained, as Christensen added: “I was in digs at Chelsea until I went to Germany. That was my first experience of staying alone and I got my girlfriend over, so I grew up a bit. I was on my own, I had to wash my own clothes and look after myself. It was life experience.”
Christensen and his father had made it clear that he only wanted to return to Chelsea if he was going to play football and the club made space for him by sending Kurt Zouma on loan to Stoke City. Any fears that the signing of Antonio Rudiger and interest in Virgil van Dijk were going to stifle his attempts to break into the Chelsea team were quickly eradicated by Conte.
Christensen said: “It was probably only before I went on holiday this summer, I thought about what would happen at Chelsea and if I’d get a chance, but the manager showed me he trusts me and he has a great passion for me to deliver.”
Conte has been good to his word. Christensen has made eight appearances so far this season, four of which have been starts.
“I’ve been involved pretty much from the start, so right now I’m happy,” said Christensen. “I’m getting a lot of playing time and I have to keep going and show I am entitled to more time. Right now, life is pretty good and I’m enjoying it.”
Life will be even better if Christensen can notch a first victory over City in his fifth attempt.