Chelsea’s team news for today’s game is in, and it’s pretty much as expected.
In fact, after eleven changes for the midweek game against Newcastle in the EFL Cup, there were eleven changes again today as the Blues returned to the exact team they played a week ago against the same opposition in a league win.
There’s just one question mark about the team – will it be Reece James or Malo Gusto on the left? Maresca has tried both in recent weeks, depending on how he foresaw the opposition setting up. We won’t really know until a couple of minutes after kick off today what today’s setup is. And who knows, the whole dynamic could be flipped the other way later in the game if Maresca wants to – that’s the beauty of having full backs who can invert and are both happy playing either side.
Other head scratchers for Enzo Maresca ahead of huge game
Another question is how the team changes as the game goes on. With such a stacked bench, it’s more than jus about bringing good players on. Christopher Nkunku is brilliant, but can’t come on as a direct replacement for anyone except Cole Palmer – and he won’t be leaving the pitch unless he’s injured.
So introducing Nkunku (which we’re sure will happen later in the game) can only mean a shift in formation.
A tempting option would be to have Nicolas Jackson spearheading the line, with Nkunku and Palmer behind. That means pushing the full backs higher up to add width, which in itself probably means adding another midfielder or defender to compensate for the wider defenders pushing forward.
This could end up being a truly fascinating tactical battle, especially if the scoreline stays tight into the second half.
