Chelsea have been pretty prolific under Maurizio Sarri so far as they won all four of their Premier League games. They will look to make it five in a row when they take on newcomers Cardiff City this weekend.
Sarri’s philosophy has shown initial signs of promise, but the team will now face fresh challenges with quite a few midweek fixtures coming up in the next few weeks.
It is to be noted that except Cesc Fabregas, no other Chelsea player is feared to miss the upcoming match.
Predicted Chelsea Lineup
Defence
Kepa Arrizabalaga, Chelsea’s new recruit will start between the sticks. He is yet to be properly tested this season and could well use the time to adapt to the pace and physicality of the League.
Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso will be the two fullbacks in Chelsea’s backline. Alonso’s overlapping run and partnership with Eden Hazard is an important creative aspect of the way Chelsea play.
David Luiz has shown signs of switching at times this season and he’ll need to cut that aspect out of his game. However, his ball-distribution ability coupled with Antonio Rudiger’s strong defensive resolve complement each other pretty well. The two are expected to start at the heart of the defence.
Midfield
Jorginho has filled in the role at the base of the midfield, from where the Italian midfielder is expected to start the attacks and control the tempo of the game.
N’Golo Kante will play beside Jorginho and while the latter’s distribution is key, the former’s ability to wrestle possession back and tirelessly work to recycle possession is equally important.
Mateo Kovacic brings dynamism and creativity to Chelsea’s game, as his dribbling, passing skills and the nous to find pockets of spaces and capitalise on them is something the team missed in midfield. The Croatian is pretty effective in the current Chelsea setup and should start once again.
Attack
Pedro is likely to start on the right wing. The Spaniard has had a good start to the season and his output, in particular, has been impressive. Alvaro Morata could lead the attack, but the Spaniard needs to involve himself more in the buildup play rather than cutting an isolated figure up front.
Chelsea will have the brilliance of Eden Hazard on the left flank, as the Belgian attacker has adapted and improved his game under Sarri’s style.
