Chelsea FC won their season opener yesterday, in a rout, and they did so without the services of a couple key players.
The 3-0 result at home over Crystal Palace conveyed just how much talent on depth the Blues have, especially in attack, when you consider they were without one of their best wing players, and their all-time most expensive players.
So in other words, competition for playing time, especially in the final third, is going to be very fierce this season.
When everyone is fit to feature, some very talented and expensive players, most likely in the forward group, are going to miss out.
Let’s look at who Thomas Tuchel could select when he has all options at his disposal.
Chelsea FC Strongest Possible Starting XI in 2021-22
Lukaku
Pulisic Mount
Chilwell Kante Jorginho Azpilicueta
Rudiger Silva Christensen
Mendy
Given their form last season, Mason Mount and N’Golo Kante are undroppable, period. Same could be said for Edouard Mendy, while Jorginho is very important as a table setter.
Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta bring leadership in addition to their knowledge, skills and abilities.
Christian Pulisic was the team’s best player during Project Restart, and the club’s best offensive player in 2019-20. So we’re picking him over Hakim Ziyech.
Or maybe you can slot him deeper, as right back in the 3-4-2-1 formation, as we saw in the preseason.
Obviously, the club’s most expensive all-time signing, Romelu Lukaku is not droppable. But the man whose record he broke, Kai Havertz, is left out here. Ditto for another German forward signed in 2020, Timo Werner.
How do they fit in? Or do they not?
We’re still expecting Tammy Abraham to be shipped out, so we didn’t include him either. Where he goes right now still remains a mystery.
The back three kind of selects itself, but naturally, there is a lot of room for debate with the defensive midfield four/the two players on the wing.
Any objections Chelsea FC supporters? Of course there are! So who would swap in and for whom?
Post in the comments section below.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune.
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