Former Chelsea full-back Ryan Bertrand, who notably started for the Blues in the 2012 Champions League Final triumph in Munich, had a stellar season at Southampton in 2014/15, registering 34 appearances in the Premier League and notching a pair of goals and assists. Speaking to The Guardian, however, the left-back said that he believes he should still be playing at Stamford Bridge purely based on his confidence in his own talent.
“For me it wasn’t a case of ‘my career isn’t going right, I’m not playing for Chelsea’,” said Bertrand. “I know personally I should still be there and I should still be playing [for them].
“I know that in myself. That’s my inner confidence. It’s nothing to do with my capabilities that I’m not there, it’s purely circumstance but it is no drama. That is football and these things happen. I’m not trying to prove people wrong and I’ve no grudges [with Mourinho], no chip on my shoulder. Football is football, business is business.”
Bertrand, who was sent out on nine different loan spells with seven different clubs during his time as a Chelsea player, was on loan with Saints this season until the move was made permanent in the January window by virtue of a £10 million fee. He was named to the Premier League team of the season for his performance for Southampton this year and is working with the English national side ahead of their upcoming friendlies with Ireland and Slovenia this week.
His most prolific period for Chelsea came under Roberto Di Matteo and then Rafa Benítez, when he played 38 times.
While the kind of self confidence and assurance that Bertrand’s comments display are ideal for a player competing in England’s top flight league, the plight of Filipe Luís this past season is evidence that the loans and subsequent transfer to Southampton were a good thing for Bertrand. Luís is a fine left-back and would have been a regular starter for virtually any other team in England, but the Brazilian found he could not crack the starting XI for the majority of the season due to the superb play of César Azpilicueta, who was arguably the finest full-back in the country in 2014/15.
If Luís was unable to play regularly behind the Spaniard, the struggle would have been similar for Bertrand, who shone for Saints without battling in the shadow of Azpilicueta. To his credit, Bertrand did not sound like a player holding any grudges, and appears to be settling in nicely with his new club.
“I am fantastically happy at Southampton now, playing week in, week out, developing as a footballer and really enjoying life,” Bertrand added. “I don’t even look back and wish I’d made the move sooner. Everyone has their own path and this is mine, and I’m thankful for everything I learned in my years at Chelsea. I played with some fantastic players and under some world-class managers – 10 or 11 of them – and drew aspects from each and every one. Each season at Chelsea I sensed progress, from playing 10 games to 16, 20 to 34 over a campaign. But the season when it didn’t pan out the way I’d hoped [2013-14] and I lost out on being with England, that made it clear I needed to find somewhere to play consistently.”
Now in a position the play regularly and show his considerable talent, the former Chelsea man will now look to continue to build on his successful campaign domestically as he continues to work his way into the England side under Roy Hodgson.
