the main issue with chiellini was always his inconsistency. iirc during our latest cl run the goals we conceded during the knockout stages were all due to a chiellini $#@!up - still, he did perform like a beast against real. when in top form, chiello is our best central defender - but on a bad day, he's easily our weakest link.
meanwhile, rugani recently became almost as reliable as barza was a couple of years ago. nothing fancy, but solid, pure, elegant defensive work.