What impact will this long-term injury to a key Chelsea player have?

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How will it affect Chelsea?

When Kurt Zouma was first brought to London, he was firmly seen as a superstar of the future and despite hopes to the contrary, it is maybe a little unexpected that the Frenchman has grown into such a key figure at such an early stage of his fledgling career. Nevertheless, his absence from the Chelsea first-team for the remainder of the 2015/16 campaign will be sorely felt, as I imagine that the side will begin to feel his influence on the game even more acutely when he is out of action.

Perhaps most importantly of all, the Stamford Bridge outfit will lose his speed at the heart of the defence. As a result, will veteran John Terry be exposed by the more pacey forwards in the league and throughout Europe, with Kurt Zouma no longer able to cover him? It is certainly a possibility and with no stand-out candidate as a like-for-like replacement who can bring similar attributes to the table, Guus Hiddink may even have to re-think his entire defensive strategy. We have observed the utility of Kurt Zouma’s speed across the ground on several occasions, whether that be last term when he did such a good job shadowing Raheem Sterling in the two legs of the Capital One Cup semi-final, or this season when compatriot Anthony Martial met his match in the sprint stakes.

Unless Chelsea’s Dutch coach springs a massive surprise, Gary Cahill will partner John Terry at the heart of the defence for the vast majority of the club’s remaining games this season. Azplicueta is no slouch, but with the other defensive figures around in the form of Ivanovic, Mikel and Matic, Chelsea are hardly blessed with pace in this area of the pitch. It may be a shrewd ploy to defend slightly deeper for the time being, or else risk being caught out by balls over the top into space.