An ever-present for club and country so far this term, Andreas Christensen is arguably in the most settled form of his career and has pinpointed the faith of his manager as a significant factor in that.
The Dane has caught the eye for Chelsea in the opening weeks of 2021/22, thriving in clean sheet victories against Crystal Palace and Arsenal, while stepping up to help the Blues keep Liverpool at bay despite a numerical disadvantage following Reece James’s red card in our most recent outing at Anfield.
On the international stage, the 25-year-old has played every minute of Denmark’s opening two World Cup qualifiers of the campaign as the Danes beat Scotland and Faroe Islands to maintain their 100 per cent winning record in Group F.
Ahead of their next assignment in Copenhagen against Israel tonight, the defender has been reflecting on how content he feels at Stamford Bridge right now.
‘We’ve won the Champions League and the Super Cup so I’m very happy to be at the club right now,’ he said.
‘I feel like Chelsea are the right place to be in England.’
Nineteen of Christensen’s 27 club appearances last term came under Thomas Tuchel and he admits the Bavarian has played a big part in his resurgence.
‘I know he believes in me,’ continued the academy graduate. ‘I’ve played a big role since he came in.
‘I had a difficult period but luckily now it’s going the right way for me. Things can move fast in this world but the most important thing is just that I have never given up.’
Christensen will be back at Cobham this week ahead of our Premier League encounter with Aston Villa, where the smart money will be on him starting again for the Blues as we bid to thwart the attacking endeavours of Danny Ings, Ollie Watkins and Co.
Yet the classy centre-back knows the demands of top-level football mean no player can rest on their laurels, particularly as the Blues look to continue an unbeaten start to the season and keep close to the pace-setters at the league’s summit.
‘As I have experienced before, things can change quickly,' he added. ‘Suddenly some other players can perform well or be given a chance and you can end up in the cold again.
‘But right now, it’s super cool to play such a major part and to be in the thick of things.’