It’s been a tough few weeks for Chelsea. Though the Blues have looked good in cup competitions, their Premier League form has really dwindled under Maurizio Sarri.
Indeed, Chelsea currently find themselves outside of the top four, with Arsenal overtaking them, and that’s a real issue.
Of course, their main aim this season is to earn their spot back in the Champions League, and if Maurizio Sarri doesn’t achieve that aim – regardless of any cup success – he could be in trouble.
It’s essential, then, that Chelsea turn things around against Huddersfield on Saturday. A win could put the Blues back in the driving seat for a top-four place, especially with Arsenal taking on Man City.
But who should Sarri pick to play? He needs to make a few changes, as Chelsea just weren’t good enough against Bournemouth. Who should he go for, then?
The goalkeeper effectively picks himself, with Kepa Arrizbalga undeniably the first choice at Stamford Bridge. Kepa has made a fantastic start to life in England. He’s made far fewer headlines than Liverpool’s Alisson, but that’s a good thing. He’s been quiet and consistent, and that’s all you want from a goalkeeper.
The defence, too, should remain the same from Chelsea’s with Bournemouth. Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger and David Luiz have all featured regularly this season, and with good reason. They’ve been fantastic. Emerson Palmieri made his first league start of the season against Bournemouth, and he actually looked good. He’s far more of a threat going forward than Marcos Alonso and his agility was a welcome change.
The midfield, however, is where things start to change. Jorginho needs more defensive support, and so perhaps it’s time to drop N’Golo Kante back a little bit to help support him. Kante can still get up and down the pitch, but with a little bit more emphasis on the defensive phase, Chelsea will be far more solid. The inclusion of Ruben Loftus-Cheek should help to negate any loss of offensive flair presented by Kante’s positional change. Loftus-Cheek is now back fit again – and Chelsea have really missed him. The Englishman offers a fantastic goal threat and his fantastic ability with the ball at his feet really helps improve the Blues. He needs a run in the team to prove himself.
After losing his place in the Chelsea squad against Bournemouth, Maurizio Sarri simply has to pick Callum Hudson-Odoi against Huddersfield. Not only will including him increase Chelsea’s chances of hanging on to him, the attacker has simply been far better than both Willian and Pedro in recent weeks. Make no mistake, if he was the same player but 5 years older, he’d play every week. Age must not be a barrier. Unsurprisingly, Gonzalo Higuain and Eden Hazard should keep their places – and likely will. Neither player was good against Bournemouth, but together they could be deadly given time.
Sarri needs to change things up somewhat, and he really needs to start rotating this team. This XI would get the job done.
Thoughts?
