Much of the success in the defensive department had been given to Thiago Silva and understandably so, but Frank Lampard has voiced his opinion on how impressive Kurt Zouma has been performing consistently.
The French defender has played every minute of the last five games and helped in keeping clean sheets. Thiago Silva has been his defense partner and their partnership in the backline has been blossoming like a flower.
The Chelsea coach was keen to complement the displays of Zouma who isn’t in the spotlight despite the performances. Zouma moved to Stamford Bridge in 2014 and since then struggled with his knee injury which affected his career.
‘I’ve been really impressed with Kurt, his form and what he’s given us,’ said Lampard in the Official Chelsea website.
‘He’s scoring goals from set-pieces and defending set-pieces well which is a big part of our game, and something we can improve on from last year.
‘Kurt has been here a long time but he’s had some injury problems which have made his career difficult when he was just getting himself feeling comfortable at the club. He had his loan moves which were successful, certainly the Everton one he had before he came back to us.
‘There have been obstacles in his way but he is a great professional who wants to do everything right,’ added Lampard. He prepares right for games, wants to improve, and I have been very happy with his attitude during my time here.
‘Now we are seeing a level of performance and consistency and concentration we need. And that’s not just Kurt, it’s all the defenders here. We need to keep having the concentration levels going forward, no matter what that pairing is.’
The arrival of the Brazilian center back, Thiago Silva had a major impact on the whole team especially in the defence which can be clearly seen seeing the performances put by the defensive department. Even Zouma himself admitted how he is influenced by the world-class defender in the training and matches.
‘Thiago Silva’s experience and quality can rub off not just on Kurt but anyone he is paired with,’ said Lampard. He has helped Kurt and we need to sustain that level of performance to keep the good run of clean sheets we are on.
‘Teams who achieve in the modern day have individuals or pairings defensively who set those standards. It’s imperative to defend well if you want to win trophies, particularly the Premier League.’
The arrival of the 36 years old Silva should not take the spotlight from the French defender. Kurt Zouma has established himself as a crucial member of the Chelsea team and shouldn’t be underestimated at all.
The early signs of the duo are very encouraging as they are yet to concede a goal in the last five fixtures in all competitions. Zouma has proved his worth and undoubtedly is one of the connections in the backline for Lampard who has provided cohesion in the team -something which was absent since the time Lampard took the job.
