The Chelsea Bench: Robben vs Boulahrouz

Arjen Robben, whose time on the field for Chelsea in the league this season is just over half the minutes it could be, spoke out about his future yesterday.

Since the arrival of Ballack and Shevchenko, Chelsea’s formation has changed somewhat, leaving Robben not playing as much as he would like.

He announced that if things didn’t change, he would have to consider his options, meaning a move away from Stamford Bridge could be on the cards.

“If I am not in the team I will have to consider other options,” he said. “Chelsea said I would be playing more regularly so let us wait and see. There are some players here who get a lot of money for doing nothing, but I don’t want to be one of them. I am too young for that.”

The fall of Shaun Wright-Phillips has been well documented, with the player missing out on what could be his only chance to play in the World Cup due to his limitted time on the field for Chelsea. Arjen Robben does not want to go down that path, and it has to be said, he is far too talented to be sitting on any teams’ bench.

New Chelsea boy, Khalid Boulahrouz, has approached his place in the team differently however. In the defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, the player was taken off just twenty three minutes after coming on the field as a sub, following a pretty dismal display. Following the path of now Arsenal man William Gallas, the centre back is being played out of position.

“Everybody knows what my best position is. I prefer to play in the middle and it’s where I feel more comfortable, but I always give everything I have. For me, I prefer to play centre back, even if it means sitting on the bench,” Boulahrouz announced today.

Whose approach do you agree with? Is it better to sit on the bench, waiting to get a chance to play exactly where you want to? Or should players move on to clubs who play them as often as they deserve, in the position that best suits them? Leave your opinions below.

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