It has been just shy of a month since Chelsea have been in Premier League action. Happy to finally get some points on the table, and we get to do it in a unique style.
The Blues will be rocking their gold badge to give rivals a friendly reminder of their World Champion status. Let’s hope that channels them into that Champion energy on the pitch.
Thomas Tuchel fields a team scarce with wing-backs. It looks like Chelsea have been forced to abandon the three at the back regime for longer than we expected.
The Blues are without Cesar Azpilicueta and Callum Hudson-Odoi for their away clash against Crystal Palace. They are also missing Reece James and Mason Mount, making Tuchel’s selection rather difficult.
The Chelsea boss cannot shy away from using players out of position. In fact, usually, when this happens, the player does quite well, Hudson-Odoi, for example. But, I’m not sure how this new tweak will look.
Chelsea travels to Selhurst Park with Andreas Christensen occupying the right-back role and Malang Sarr on the opposite flank. In other words, the Blues will need some defensive cover if they are to keep a clean sheet.
I would have loved for Trevoh Chalobah to have been given the opportunity to replicate his senior debut against the Eagles. The first match of the season saw Chalobah score his first senior Chelsea goal, and it bought the defender to his knees. Unfortunately, today is not the day for the sentiment. Chelsea needs the three points to keep a safe gap and secure top four. If Tuchel believes that he is not yet fully fit and ready for this match, then so be it.
Tuchel relies on his quadruple attack of Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, Kai Havertz, and Romelu Lukaku to bring home the three points today. If you’d asked me at the start of the season, I’d expect nothing less than a couple of goals from this starstudded attack. However, their recent performances have shifted the tide, so my expectations are capped.
One to Watch
Call me crazy, but I am most certainly expecting another excellent performance from Ziyech. The Moroccan sorcerer has been on fire and has been easily our best attacker of 2022. Watch out for his wicked left foot and his magical balls into the final third.
Chelsea Line Up :
Christensen, Silva, Rudiger, Sarr; Kante, Jorginho (C); Ziyech, Pulisic, Lukaku, Havertz
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