11 January 2024 , 07:00
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Twenty years ago Wayne Bridge was part of an influx of young talent at Chelsea but the key difference between the Blues’ recent overhaul and then is that the squad he joined contained a host of leaders to nurture the likes of Joe Cole and Damien Duff.
That 2004 team was packed with proven big-game performers such as Marcel Desailly, William Gallas and Claude Makelele.
Yet when Bridge looks at the current crop, the only leader he sees among the mass of youth is 39-year-old Thiago Silva.
And the absence of more inspirational figures in the dressing room is the primary reason why Mauricio Pochettino is struggling to get a consistent tune out of his £1bn team.
“When I went there I was 23. We were young but had a bit of experience, a few seasons under our belt,” Bridge said. “A lot of us knew what the Premier League was like already but we had experienced players around us.
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"That helped. We didn’t win right away but we had a good season under [Claudio] Ranieri and got into the Champions League.
“The players were great but they had that work ethic and fight. As much as you had [Arjen] Robben, who was so skillful on the ball, and Joe Cole, they worked their butts off getting back and closing down.
“So many players in that team had that mentality and [Jose] Mourinho brought that to another level. There was no sloppiness ever. His mentality improved ours as well. But there were a lot of leaders. You can only name one now. Thiago and that’s about it, really.”
Bridge, who thinks it would be a misstep to sell Conor Gallagher, has been impressed by Cole Palmer since his £40m move from Manchester City. “Palmer seems talented, calm and has his head screwed on,” he said. But he reckons the jury remains out on the rest of the arrivals and their scattergun recruitment approach is best summed up by the issue at left back.
Cole Palmer has stood out as one of the few recent signings to show flashes of promise. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)Ben Chilwell is injured once again, Marc Cucurella is struggling for fitness and form, while Ian Maatsen is being loaned to Borussia Dortmund midway through a campaign that began with Lewis Hall being sent to Newcastle.
And that means Levi Colwill, a centre half lacking the attacking nous required for the role, is being used in Bridge’s former position.
“It’s crazy really, when you look at the money they have spent, that they need to get another left back,” Bridge added. Chilwell is the best but his injuries haven’t helped. Cucurella is injured but he hasn’t found form or been great. In hindsight the people they’ve let go they could probably do with right now.
“Colwill is good but he’s more of a centre back and he’s not going to overlap a lot. And it didn’t go too well on Tuesday night. They’d rather Lewis Hall or [Tino] Livramento back now. It is crazy when you talk about the names and they don’t have a left back. It’s madness.”
Wayne Bridge was speaking to the Mirror on behalf of BetVictor.