We all remember Zouma’s horrific injury, injury that will keep him away from the pitch for 6 months. While our most positive thoughts go out to the Frenchman, there is also a matter of who will replace him, a matter that needs to be addressed soon if Chelsea want to salvage something out of this season. Unfortunately, The Blues’ other first pick for the starting eleven, John Terry, also picked up an injury and could be ruled out from the game against Manchester City which, if won, could help Hiddink claim the FA Cup trophy later on.

As seen against PSG, Gary Cahill and Ivanovic can do a pretty good job in the middle of the defense but what are the other options and what should the central axis look like next season as well?

1. Gary Cahill – John Terry – this must surely be the first choice pairing as Cahill is the sometimes England captain and could well captain them at EURO2016 given the uncertainty over Rooney now and JT (if fit) is still one of the best centre-backs in the league and is a former England captain who makes up for his slight lack of speed through intuition, good tackles and his brilliant reading of the game plus his timely goals.
2. Gary Cahill – Matt Miazga – according to rumors, Chelsea’s latest transfer has impressed Hiddink who is ready to give the youngster a chance. The 20-year-old US international might be a solution for next season if paired with Cahill who is probably going to become a team regular again if Terry leaves. It’s hard to tell though if he has the speed to back up Cahill who is not the fastest of defenders. Usually tall players like Miazga make up the lack of speed through intuition and good tackles but the former NY Red Bulls CB lacks the Premier League experience to perform in such a way.
3. Ivanovic – Terry – If JT stays for one more year and if Baba Rahman continues down the same line, we could see the Serbian full-back be turned into a center back as it happened against PSG. Ivanovic has the speed and the strength to both support his other center-back as well as to support the flanks. Again, it`s not sure if Terry will stay at Stamford Bridge. The two would make a great team.
4. Papy Djilobodji – Gary Cahill – If the 27-year-old Senegal international does well at Werder Bremen he could be recalled to take on a leading role. Not sure if his loan means he wanted badly to play or that he was not cut out for the Premier League.

It`s either of these options until Zouma gets back. Honestly, they did quite well against PSG and some would say Ivanovic is better suited for a central role rather than a full-back role.