#8 Branislav Ivanovic – Chelsea
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Yet another player who has struggled in the Chelsea back line for the past 12 months is Branislav Ivanovic. The Serbian defender had a terrible 2015/16 season as Chelsea’s title defence was scuppered in a series of disastrous losses. And left wingers had a field day taking on Ivanovic on the flank.
His tackles per game have steadily declined over the past few seasons and he no longer has the pace to keep up with speedy wingers. He turns 33 this season and continuing to play him as a full-back will only lead to fewer clean sheets.
However, Ivanovic could still be moved to a centre-back position. Should Conte switch to three defenders at the back, he may still be able to manage to get game time with the protection of a wing-back and a central midfielder to ensure he is never left exposed. He is still a threat on set pieces and should not be brushed aside too quickly.
