Graham Potter is just one game into a season defining 13 match run until the winter World Cup and he already has several key selection issues ahead of possibly the biggest match in his managerial career.
As Italian champions AC Milan visit Stamford Bridge on September 5, Chelsea know that anything but a win puts their Champions League qualification hopes in immediate peril and piles on the pressure of winning at San Siro next week. Therefore it is vital that Potter gets his team right.
Although there are a group of core players that will likely play no matter the set-up, there are a small handful that are effective toss-ups.
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On-top of Conor Gallagher, who would certainly have a good case to argue he deserves to start after scoring the last minute winner against Crystal Palace, Ruben Loftus-Cheek controlled midfield better than Mateo Kovacic or Jorginho were able to and Marc Cucurella might be preferred to Ben Chilwell if the Spaniard is fit enough to play.
The other key decision for Potter will be who partners Thiago Silva at centre back if he sticks with a back four, and who else to include if it is a back three. The 38-year-old will surely play once more after completing 90 minutes against Palace and setting up the equalising goal.
Wesley Fofana played his first match under Potter but looked shaky and never fully recovered from his early mistake, but the Frenchman provides pace that none of the other options has. In competition to replace Fofana is Kalidou Koulibaly. After showing signs of promise as well as a flash of brilliance against Tottenham, the 31-year-old is still adapting to life in England and hasn't settled on the pitch.
With experience against AC Milan at former club Napoli and more European experience than Fofana, ex-Chelsea defender William Gallas thinks he will get the nod at Stamford Bridge. "When you arrive at a new club, in a new country, you have to show what you can do," he said to Genting Casino.
"It doesn’t matter how good you were at your last club, I think that Chelsea are a level above Napoli as a club. He has to show Potter how good he is and I think he will be given the opportunity to play in the Champions League against Milan on Wednesday. He needs to have a good performance to put pressure on the manager to start him regularly. Don’t speak, play well on the pitch and then Potter has to decide. There are a lot of good players at Chelsea."
Koulibaly is yet to play under the new manager but may well be favoured due to his knowledge of the opposition and the worrying form of Cesar Azpilicueta who looked out of his depth against the speed of RB Salzburg's attack. Chelsea's captain didn't play against the Eagles and doesn't suit a back four but could be valuable with experience in a back three, though Koulibaly's physicality and passing range make him a more desirable candidate.
If Koulibaly is used in a back four then he will be back with Silva, and Gallas - a former centre-back himself - is confident that the Brazilian is still capable. "He can absolutely play in a back four, but it depends on the players that he has around him. That is why it is very important to have a lot of communication with your centre back partner," he said.
"I remember when I played alongside Marcel Descailly, who was a little bit older, at Chelsea and I would say to him, 'I’m going to cover you, Marcel, don’t worry.' As you get older at the back, you lose your pace but you don’t lose the ability to read a game, your positioning. I had the same issue when I got older as well. If the communication between him and his teammates is good, he can play in a back four without any problem."
Fofana and Koulibaly both have the ability to cover for Silva whereas Azpilicueta doesn't. Not that Silva often needs covering for anyway. Kouliably played against Milan last season in Serie A too, and will be aware of the threat posed by Olivier Giroud - someone Chelsea know well - and also Raphael Leao.
The Senegalese defender doesn't have the best recent record against Stefano Pioli's team, but his experience could be vital for Potter who is managing just his second Champions League game.
In 14 matches against Milan, Koulibaly won five and drew five, losing four. He only won once in his last six meetings though, and lost the last encounter to a Giroud goal. With better players around him this time and the stakes being higher, he will be hoping to end this run with his new club.
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