Chelsea's defence has been akin to an airport baggage belt this season, with four centre backs making between 13 and 19 Premier League starts.
But with nine games remaining and a top-four race likely to go down to the wire, are we about to see Frank Lampard settle on a regular partnership or will the regular rotation continue?
Football.london 's senior reporter Alan Smith and Chelsea writer Oliver Harbord debate who the head coach should rely on.
Alan Smith - senior reporter
Three quarters of the way through the campaign and it is still impossible to say with any degree of certainty what Frank Lampard's first-choice centre back partnership is.
Kurt Zouma has played the most minutes (1804) and the most talented of the four regulars, Antonio Rudiger, has had the fewest because of injury (1126).
In between sits Andreas Christensen (1258), who continues to carry doubts about his willingness to put his head where it can sometimes hurt, and Fikayo Tomori (1293), who has the second most minutes but made just one league appearance in 2020 and struggled.
It feels like Rudiger, fit and sharp again before the hiatus, is fixed as one of the two with Zouma the most likely partner when games restart in just over a fortnight.
But a feeling persists that the final nine games will see plenty of rotation.
Despite those concerns over Christensen, he has shown more of a physical aptitude since being bullied away to Everton in early December and is perhaps the best ball-player of the quartet.
Tomori, meanwhile, remains the big long-term hope. He will be itching for more minutes and should get an opportunity even if in March he was bottom of the pecking order.
My guess for Aston Villa away is a Rudiger-Zouma partnership but the evidence suggests it will not stay that way for the duration.
Oliver Harbord - Chelsea writer
Frank Lampard has often shifted around his centre-back partnership, with injuries having played their part.
The Blues have a poor defensive record this season, as they have conceded the most goals out of the top seven.
You can’t always lay that at the feet of the defence, but the fact that the change in combinations haven’t offered much security shows there is a bit of an issue there.
Antonio Rudiger remains the first choice and the Germany international has to be there to show his worth and mentality to keep Chelsea inside the top four.
The question is who should partner him and that man has to be Kurt Zouma for the rest of the campaign.
Fikayo Tomori had a really bright start but he has made some mistakes and shown that he still has something to learn and develop.
Meanwhile, Andreas Christensen has also had some good moments but has not really grabbed the place when he has had those chances.
The summer might be a good chance to strengthen the defensive side of Chelsea’s game but for the rest of the campaign Zouma should get the nod.
