If Chelsea are serious about winning the Premier League this season, they will be desperate to make a statement this weekend.
The Blues host Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, with the reigning champions arriving on the back of a beautifully chaotic 4-3 victory against Leeds on the opening day.
Chelsea kicked off the season with a 3-1 win against Brighton which was less emphatic than the scoreline might suggest.
After going ahead through a Jorginho penalty, they were pinned back by Leandro Trossard before an absolute screamer from Reece James and an improvised finish from Kurt Zouma decided the game.
Having lost home and away to Liverpool in the Premier League last term, Chelsea need to show that their brain-melting outlay in the transfer market has helped to close the gap to their title rivals.
Frank Lampard has several injury concerns to contend with, however, including some of his new signings.
Ben Chilwell, Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic have all been ruled out, while Thiago Silva is still working on his fitness having only started training with the squad a few days ago.
That could see Lampard select a similar team to that which faced Brighton. Here’s how he could set up his side on Sunday afternoon.
Defence
Despite being linked with a move away for much of the summer, Kepa Arrizabalaga started in goal against Brighton. It wasn’t exactly a brilliant performance – he got much of the blame from fans and pundits for failing to save Trossard’s dipping, long-range effort – but Lampard claimed he was “very happy” with him and, as such, he seems likely to start.
Otherwise, Chelsea’s back line was fairly solid at the Amex and, in the absence of Chilwell and Silva, Lampard could well go for the same back four this weekend. Were he looking to rotate then Cesar Azpilicueta would be the most obvious candidate to start but, depending on how the game goes, he and Antonio Rudiger could also serve as useful reinforcements from the bench.
Midfield
Having returned from the suspension he received for his red card in the FA Cup final back in August, Mateo Kovacic could be in contention to make his first appearance of the season.
With his ability to break the lines and evade the midfield press, he is probably better suited to countering Liverpool’s tactics than Jorginho. As Chelsea’s specialist interceptor and one of the few players who can match Liverpool’s attack for stamina and determination, N’Golo Kante should start one way or another.
Attack
While Ruben Loftus-Cheek is still on the long road to recovery from the Achilles injury which kept him out for most of last season, he struggled in the No 10 role against Brighton. He could be swapped out for Ross Barkley, who replaced him after 60-odd minutes at the Amex.
As Chelsea’s new superstars, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz should get the nod to continue up front and on the right flank respectively, with the former expected to recover from a dead leg picked up in the Brighton game. Mason Mount will likely keep his place on the left.
Follow i sport on Facebook for more Chelsea news, interviews and features
More on Chelsea
- The making of Timo Werner: How his father’s motivation and ‘scary’ power meant Chelsea star was always destined for the top
- ‘Cash-strapped’ Premier League clubs remember how to spend big again despite staff redundancies and player wage cuts
- Chelsea committed to youth – and then reverted to type one season later
- Ben Chilwell is the Marcos Alonso upgrade Chelsea wanted – and needed
- The influx of world-class talent at clubs like Chelsea means the WSL – nearly a decade on – really is Super
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/33MfFdo
Post a Comment