Branislav Ivanovic Is Chelsea's BIGGEST Problem

Former Chelsea player Pat Nevin has identified Serbian defender Branislav Ivanovic as Chelsea’s biggest weakness in their defence. Nevin believes that the 31 year old horrendous performances lately has labelled him as an easy target for the opposition. Chelsea have kicked off their title defence campaign in a disastrous manner, winning just one out of five matches.

A lot of Chelsea first team players have come under a lot of criticism for Chelsea’s bad performances this season and Branislav Ivanovic is clearly among the number of players to blame due to the number of errors accumulated over the course of the first five matches. In an interview before Chelsea’s match against Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Pat Nevin was quoted as saying “Chelsea’s biggest problem defensively is probably just one player – Branislav Ivanovic. Ivanovic has been targeted by the teams he has been playing against and so far this season he has been found wanting.”

Branislav Ivanovic has been one of Chelsea’s standout players since his arrival from Lokomotiv Moscow. His impressive performances over the years for Chelsea has earned a spot in PFA team of the year twice. However, the Serbian has been short of impressive this season which has prompted many to suggest that the 31 year old best days are over and a grand exit from the club is on the cards.

Ivanovic was dropped for Chelsea’s match against Maccabi Tel-Aviv with Azpilicueta replacing him, while new signing Abdul Baba Rahman featuring at left-back. Many fans who have lost faith in Ivanovic will be hoping the pairing of Rahman and Azpilicueta stays the same over the course of the season. As for Ivanovic, it remains to be seen whether the Serbian is past his prime or he is just suffering a dip in form.