Might Chelsea rue decision to overlook Badiashile for Champions League squad?

Chelsea had some tough decisions to make following their £300m spending spree last month. The Blues added eight new players to their ranks but, per UEFA rules, could only register three of these signings in their Champions League squad.  

Graham Potter and his staff made the decision to name Mykhailo Mudryk, Joao Felix and the most expensive signing in British history, Enzo Fernandez for the knockout stages. This is likely the trio many Chelsea fans would’ve selected. After all, in knockout football you want as many attacking threats as possible in your squad to hurt the opposition.  

However, the Blues might’ve made a mistake by solely focusing on one end of the pitch. Benoit Badiashile missed out on the European squad and though that shouldn't be that much of an issue given Potter can call upon the likes of Kalidou Koulibaly, Thiago Silva, Trevoh Chalobah, Wesley Fofana, Cesar Azpilicueta and Marc Cucurella as centre-back options, they could yet still rue the decision to exclude the former Monaco man.  

It may have gone under the radar, but Chelsea have kept a clean sheet in all three of Badiashile’s appearances. The 21-year-old has partnered Silva with Koulibaly, a £33m summer signing, having to settle for a place on the bench.  

The young Frenchman has struck up an impressive understanding with the experienced Brazilian, and it appears as though the starting role in the Chelsea backline is now his to lose.  

Prior to his introduction into the starting XI, Potter’s side had kept just one clean sheet across their last 10 outings in all competitions. With him in the team though, they have managed to shut out Crystal Palace, Liverpool and Fulham as the Blues brought their three-match losing streak to an end.  

It has been a team effort but Badiashile’s involvement cannot be overlooked, downplayed or ignored. Of players with over 250 minutes for the Blues in the Premier League this term, nobody can boast a better WhoScored rating with the young centre-back topping the charts with an average of 7.45. Granted, the sample size isn’t the largest, but it is hard to dispute the impact he’s had since the move to Stamford Bridge.  

Against Palace, he found a teammate 96% of the time and only Silva attempted more passes. Badiashile also won six aerial duels (75%) and finished the game having won 100% of his tackles.  

He carried this over into the game at Anfield. Again, only Silva attempted more passes on the day and, again, Badiashile was accurate with the ball, finding a teammate 91% of the time. The centre-back won 100% of his aerial duels and 100% of his tackles in what was an utterly dominant showing in defence.  

In the draw with Fulham, the 6ft 4in defender finished the game having attempted the most passes (112) and he had a pass completion of 90%. He wasn’t as dominant in duels, but more than held his own against Aleksandar Mitrovic.  

You do need multiple goal threats in knockout football, but you also need game-changing defenders and it is safe to say that Badiashile falls into that category. He is brilliant in one-versus-one situations and a colossus in the air. He has tremendous acceleration to burst past opponents while also being able to maintain high speeds over longer distances.  

The 21-year-old is the exact sort of defender you want in these European matches and Chelsea made the decision not to include him in their squad. They may have depth in that department, but you could argue none of the players listed share a similar profile to that of Badiashile. It could prove to be a costly mistake for a club that isn’t shy about spending money.  

Ironically, he could play a key part in Chelsea’s push for a Champions League place next season by helping them climb up the Premier League table, all while watching on from the sidelines during Champions League matches.