Zouma picked up where he left off from 2019/20 as a towering presence in our defence and contributed as much as anyone to our rise up the Premier League table in the first third of the season.

He found himself out of the team at the start of 2021, but remained patient and always performed when called upon, while making this comfortably his most prolific campaign for goals.

Defensive rock

Frank Lampard relied on Zouma at the centre of his back four right from the start of 2020/21, and there was a sign of the threat the Frenchman would provide from set-pieces when he turned in Reece James’ corner to complete the scoring in our 3-1 win at Brighton on the opening day.

In fact, it only took him three games to match his previous highest-scoring season in a Chelsea shirt, and he surpassed his personal best by getting his third of the campaign when we won 3-0 away at Burnley at the end of October. His next goal was a big one, the winner against Leeds United in a game that took us within two points of the top of the table in early December.

His defensive partnership with Thiago Silva, 10 years his senior, played an even bigger role in that impressive opening to the season, with Zouma’s enthusiastic and physical approach complementing the more experienced Brazilian.

However, while the veteran’s fitness needed to be carefully managed through our demanding schedule, Zouma started 15 of our first 17 Premier League games, playing every minute of them, as well as our first four Champions League games before being rested in that competition once our progress was secured.

Ready and waiting

The combination of a change of head coach and switch to a back three, with Cesar Azpilicueta moving into the centre and Antonio Rudiger back in the fold, meant Zouma found himself out of the side after the turn of the year, making just two league appearances between early January and the start of April, filling in for the missing Thiago Silva.

He was an ever-present at the beginning of our FA Cup campaign, though, starting every match up to the semi-finals and earning the trust of Thomas Tuchel with his performances. That made him an important option for the German boss as he managed the demands of the Premier League and Champions League with rotation.

Zouma was involved in four of our last five league games as we secured a top-four finish, and showed in a back three that he could match the physical style of defending he is known for with the composure on the ball required of centre-backs in Tuchel’s system.

Kurt Zouma 2020/21 Chelsea stats

Appearances: 36

Starts: 32

Substituted: 1

Unused sub: 19

Minutes played: 3,140

Goals: 5

Assists: 0

Kurt Zouma Premier League appearances 2020/21

Kurt Zouma played 24 games in the Premier League for Chelsea this season, coming off the bench for two of them.

Kurt Zouma Champions League appearances 2020/21

Kurt Zouma made five appearances in the Champions League this season, all from the start.

Kurt Zouma FA Cup appearances 2020/21

Kurt Zouma played five games in the FA Cup this season, one of them from the bench.

Kurt Zouma Carabao Cup appearances 2020/21

Kurt Zouma played twice in the Carabao Cup this season, once from the start.

Kurt Zouma goals 2020/21

Kurt Zouma scored five goals for Chelsea in 2020/21, all in the Premier League.