At the start of the season it seemed unthinkable that Ricardo Carvalho would ever be dislodged from Chelsea's first team, yet 'The Tank' appears to have succeeded in doing just that.

While Didier Drogba has been stealing all the headlines for his displays in attack, Alex's impressive form has largely gone unnoticed at the back.

Only a few months ago he was expressing his unhappiness at Stamford Bridge, but the Brazil international's performances could have ensured the break up of one of the most highly-rated central defensive partnerships in Europe.

Carvalho has been first choice to play alongside John Terry since he joined Chelsea from Porto for £19.85million in 2004. However, when Chelsea take on Everton at home in the Premier League tonight the 31-year-old is likely to be on the substitutes' bench once again.

That was where he ended up for the club's FA Cup semi-final victory against Arsenal on Saturday, much to the surprise of most Blues' fans, and is where he will probably remain for the huge match against Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final at the Nou Camp next week.

In fairness, the Portuguese international has struggled to play at his best due to a season disrupted by a hamstring injury but Alex now deserves his place in the side on merit.

It is a view shared by former Chelsea defender Paul Elliott, who feels that the 26-year-old is currently the best candidate out of the two to help the club fight for silverware on three fronts.

He said: "I wasn't surprised he started the FA Cup semi-final instead of Carvalho. The manager obviously recognised that Alex would be the right individual for the game.

"Alex has been outstanding and is clearly a top player. He is very quick, has a good sense of anticipation and is very strong in the air. He is very capable on the ball and has a ferocious right foot, which he has shown at free kicks. Riccy's injury problems have been ongoing and as a manager you just can't take chances with that.

"Alex is a safer bet for the big games that are coming up. Any big team can't afford to carry someone. With JT fulfilling the role of captain fantastic, a fit Alex is the perfect partner for him."

It is not the first time in the defender's career where he has needed to wait for his patience, as far as Chelsea is concerned, to be rewarded.

Alex was actually signed from Brazilian club Santos in 2004 but due to work permit problems caused by having not played enough for his country, he was 'parked' at PSV Eindhoven on the proviso he could move to the Blues in the future for a nominal sum of $1.

It was there that he formed a close bond with Chelsea's current manager Guus Hiddink, who was then in charge of the Dutch club. It was also where he earned the nickname of The Tank, because of his strength in defence.

His form may have helped PSV win three titles in a row yet it didn't impress Jose Mourinho. He didn't think the defender was special, in fact he reportedly labelled him too fat and slow to play for Chelsea when the board pushed for Alex to finally complete his move to London in 2007.

It was a row that sowed some of the seeds for Mourinho's departure in September of that year, yet the defender's struggles didn't get any easier. Under Avram Grant and then Luiz Felipe Scolari, he was still very much regarded as only a stop-gap player.

With the World Cup looming on the horizon next year and concern growing he may miss out on being named in the Brazil squad should they qualify, Alex began to consider his future.

But Scolari's departure in February saw him reunited with Hiddink and a manager that truly believed in his qualities. Since then he has virtually been an ever present in the side, starting in 12 of the 14 games and all four of the Champions League matches against Juventus and Liverpool.

Elliott, who is an ambassador of the Football Against Racism in Europe network and is speaking at a meeting in Budapest today, insists that Hiddink has made all the difference.

He added: "The relationship between the two is very important. Alex was out of favour a few months ago and was clearly not comfortable. But his fortunes have changed, he has been given his opportunity and he has seized it.

"Hiddink knows he can trust him from their time before at PSV and Alex also knows he has the support of the manager. That will be crucial to him mentally and there is no better example of Hiddink's impact at Chelsea than what's happened to Alex."