Chelsea’s push towards the Premier League title hit a small stumbling block last weekend as they lost at home to Crystal Palace, but with Bournemouth Saturday’s opponents and the win over Man City on Wednesday, there’s hope Antonio Conte will turn things back around once again.
Blues fans here in the Tavern have been absolutely delighted with some of the football they’ve seen this season and they have every right to be – Conte has made them a feared and offensive unit in a short space of time and the future is looking extremely bright at Stamford Bridge.
With the likes of Manchester City, United and Arsenal all struggling for form right now, this is an excellent chance for the Blues to become the dominant force in English football.
If they can add to their league success with some European glory then we might be looking at one of the most successful managers to have ever managed at the Bridge.
And even our stickler of a landlord feels this current Chelsea side deserves credit for the way they’ve gone about their business this season, he’s tipped them to win the division again next season.
And with a mid-table Cherries side next up, we can only see a Blues win in this one.
So with that in mind, here’s the starting XI Conte should go with that has the potential to smash Bournemouth this weekend…
GK: Thibaut Courtois
Pretty obvious choice this one.
There’s absolutely no dislodging Courtois from this Chelsea line-up this campaign – he’s made the most clean sheets in the division and will certainly start against Bournemouth this weekend.
CB: Gary Cahill
England international Gary Cahill has been seriously solid at the heart of this Chelsea defence this campaign and he’ll be hoping to keep a clean sheet in the game against the Cherries this weekend.
Alongside David Luiz, he’s looked more comfortable than he has done for years and he’ll be tasked with keeping the likes of Josh King quiet this weekend.
CB: David Luiz
David Luiz has enjoyed a successful return to the Bridge and his move looks set to be rewarded with a Premier League trophy come the end of the season.
The big-haired Brazilian might not be everyone’s cup of tea but the criticism of his defensive performances has subsided this campaign and moving forward, he looks to be a big part of Chelsea’s team for the coming seasons.
CB: Cesar Azpilicueta
Spanish international Cesar Azpilicueta might not be the most inspiring of players at the Bridge right now but he does a real job in at centre-back and few can fault his performances this campaign.
He brings a good attacking edge to this side and combined with his defensive reliability, you can trust in him to have a good game more often than not for the Blues.
RWB: Pedro
Another player that has enjoyed a renaissance under Conte is Spanish winger Pedro, who has come back into the first-team and looked strong at times this season.
More goals would be nice and he’ll be looking to get amongst the goals in the game against Bournemouth this weekend.
CDM: Cesc Fabregas
Cesc Fabregas has been back amongst the first-team recently and has rewarded manager Antonio Conte with some seriously strong performances.
Once lambasted by our landlord, he’s proved the critics wrong and if his form continues, the Blues might keep hold of the former Arsenal man this summer, rather than sell him on.
CDM: N’Golo Kante
N’Golo Kante has continued his good form for Chelsea this season and has slotted into the midfield seamlessly after his big-money summer move from Leicester City.
It looks to be consecutive league titles in a row for the French international, which is seriously impressive stuff.
LWB: Marcos Alonso
Marcus Alonso has come into the Chelsea side with real ease and has filled a piece of the puzzle that has long-since been missing for years at the Bridge.
Hard-working, attacking-minded and intelligent, he’ll be looking to provide the firepower down the left-hand side with Pedro this weekend.
RF: Willian
With Victor Moses out and Pedro filling in at right wing back, Willian has been able to come in and get some more game time.
Chelsea’s best player last season, he’ll be looking to show Conte what he has got once again at the weekend.
LF: Eden Hazard
Chelsea’s biggest threat to a timid-looking Bournemouth side is Eden Hazard, who has the quality to tear through any defence at this level when he’s in-form.
The Cherries won’t be looking forward to the match against the Belgian, who will be looking to continue his good run of form until the end of the season.
ST: Diego Costa
Diego Costa’s good form has been evident all season and he’ll be looking to punish a Bournemouth side that still has work to do if they’re to avoid the drop.
He’s a nasty unit up-front who has terrorised many a Premier League defence over the past couple of years. It wouldn’t be a bad shout in the slightest to pop some money on him scoring in this game.
