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Your support makes all the difference.Branislav Ivanovic thinks this Chelsea team is only going to get better the more they play together – a scary thought for the Premier League’s 19 other clubs given the Blues’ undefeated start to the season.
The Serbian defender, along with Manchester City's Pablo Zabaleta the best right-back in the top flight, has hailed Jose Mourinho’s summer signings Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas for the speed with which they have adapted to their new surroundings.
Costa already has nine Premier League goals, while Fabregas has seven assists – the pair were superb in the win against rivals Arsenal on Sunday, combining to score the decisive second goal.
But Ivanovic says there is more to come from the Blues this season.
“We have the quality here and the way we are working every day on passing is improving the movement,” he told the official Chelsea magazine.
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“It is really amazing how quickly the new players have adapted. You could see straight from the first day how they work, how well they do their jobs, and that it is normal for them to play this way. That is why they are here and we are all very happy about that.
“As this group stays together for a long time, we will get better and better – we know each other’s games, we know the movement of each other and this gives us the opportunity to play more easily in games.
“Sometimes we work on special things in preparation for a game, and this is one thing, but it is another to understand your team-mates, to know how they work and what they like on the pitch.
“The moment you start to see what they usually do in training, you know they will usually do this in the game. You have to feel that.”
The 30-year-old arrived at Chelsea in January 2008 for just under £10m. He initially struggled to adapt to English football, partly due to fitness, before being linked with a move away that summer without playing a game.
He finally made his debut for the club in the League Cup on 24 September but only played nine matches under Scolari before again being linked with a move away in January. However he started to see more game time under Guus Hiddink and then the next season under Carlo Ancelotti became a key member of the first-team, being named in the PFA Team of the Year as the Blues won the double.
Since then he has not looked back and has continued as the club’s first choice right-back under different managers as well as playing in the centre, his natural position, when needed. Such is his form, as well as Cesar Azpilicueta’s on the left, Ashley Cole replacement Filipe Luis, a £16m signing from Spanish champions Atletico Madrid, is yet to start a Premier League game.
“It has been amazing, but the time has gone so quickly for me – I can’t believe it has been almost seven years since I joined Chelsea. I think it is a little bit early to speak about ‘my career’, but definitely my best years I am playing in Chelsea – seven years is not a short period, so I am happy about that.”
“I am settled here and I feel very good, very proud, to be part of Chelsea Football Club, and to be part of this team. I play with great players and we always have the same motivation, which is to win trophies – that is what we want to achieve.
“We look at our squad and see that we have enough quality and good enough players to do this, so we have to keep focused and we have to give to our supporters and our club something that will make a difference – and this is trophies.
“Now I feel more freedom, more confidence, and the way we are training, the way we are preparing for games and the way things are inside the club make you feel 100 per cent better and you feel you are improving all the time with these players and everything we have here.”
Ivanovic has a very good goalscoring record for the club with 27 goals in 277 appearances, including two this season already.
He explains: “Well, when I was really young, until 14 or 15, I used to play striker.
“However, I just try to get into the right positions, focus and not complicate things a lot. I think, when you are a defender and you are in that position, you don’t even have time to complicate things – you don’t have time to think about it.
“The guys who are playing in front of us, they have more of these situations, so they are more experienced, but as a defender going forward, I just try to hit the target and, if you hit the ball well and it’s going on target, there is a good chance of scoring a goal.”
Ivanovic also explains how the modern full-back operates: “Sometimes you can show the winger that you want to attack, that you know how to attack, so they have to focus on the defensive side of their game. This can help the team by taking their winger out of position, taking him so far away from your goal that they cannot hurt you.
“However, this is another thing that depends on the opponent and the situation of the game, so I’m happy to go forward when I can, but I’m still focused on the defensive things first.”
The latest edition of the official Chelsea magazine is available to download now on your tablet here
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