Who will be Chelsea's first choice centre back pairing next season?

David Luiz (L) and John Terry

With the season just a few weeks away, important decisions will need to be made and whilst modern football is a squad game, Jose Mourinho will have to decide what he considers to be his preferred formation and starting XI when everyone is available.

Whilst there may be tactical variations higher up the pitch we will be playing with two central defenders which means that John Terry, David Luiz, Gary Cahill, Tomas Kalas and Branislav Ivanovic will be competing for the starting berths.

John Terry

Club captain and veteran from Mourinho’s first period in-charge, the fitness and durability of Terry have been called into question in the last 12 months and we may witness him being used in rotation to keep him fresh.

David Luiz

The days of Terry being “untouchable” in the Chelsea line up are over and whether he will be seen as our strongest option is up for debate. I have more confidence in our defence when Terry is playing and expect him to be our talisman for the games that matter in the season.

When Mourinho first arrived, there was speculation that he did not rate David Luiz. However, I have seen no evidence of this in pre-season and despite interest from other clubs, Luiz does not appear to be for sale.

As a player, Luiz has matured a great deal over the last 18 months and is arguably our strongest option based on form last season, with the flexibility to play in midfield as well the role that Mourinho sees for Luiz will have a big bearing on our backline.

Despite the negative media reports, I expect Luiz to have a big role to play for Chelsea next season.

Branislav Ivanovic

Ivanovic, like Luiz, is a cult figure with fans due to his passion and dedication to the cause, the kind of player that will run through a wall for the team.

His quality is not to be understated and with his ability to play in the centre of defence or on the right, he is an indispensable member of our squad.

For me, he is competing for a starting place next to David Luiz with John Terry at the moment.

Gary Cahill

After a phenomenal start after joining from Bolton, Gary Cahill struggled last season suffering from injuries and a dip in form.

Cahill is, however, a capable centre back posing a threat from set pieces to boot.

I do not view Gary Cahill as a first choice centre back for Chelsea. However, with so many games scheduled in a season, he will be useful cover and I expect him to feature regularly both as a starter and from the bench.

Tomas Kalas

A young talent, he signed for Chelsea in 2011 and then spent time on loan at Vitesse. However, this pre-season Jose Mourinho has stated he will stay at the Bridge and compete for a first team place.

The Starting Partnership

I think of the four senior defenders, David Luiz should be on the team sheet with either John Terry or Branislav Ivanovic with Cahill and Kalas as cover.

This may not be how it pans out but I think we have sufficient depth in this area provided no one is sold.