Chelsea’s form since the turn of the year has been far from impressive, as they have had some chastening results, losing 4-0 against Bournemouth and receiving a 6-0 hammering at the hands of Manchester City.
Manager Maurizio Sarri certainly needs to get his combinations right if he is to save his job come the end of the campaign.
In this article, we take a look at the strongest Chelsea lineup for the rest of the season.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Defence
Kepa Arrizabalaga is the undisputed number one goalkeeper despite the Spaniard’s antics which saw him getting benched in the win against Tottenham Hotspur.
Antonio Rudiger is also a guaranteed starter in defence, although he will have to improve his ball distribution. The German international will be partnered by David Luiz at the heart of the four-man backline.
Cesar Azpilicueta’s should start in the right-back position, even though the Spaniard hasn’t been at his consistent best.
And finally, in the left back slot, Marcos Alonso’s form under Sarri has been far from impressive, and when Emerson has been given a chance, he has impressed.
Midfield
Sarri should definitely switch to a 4-2-3-1 formation during the remainder of this campaign in order to utilise N’Golo Kante in his natural defensive role.
The Frenchman can be deployed alongside Jorginho in the double-pivot while Mateo Kovacic could be utilised as the lone attacking midfielder.
However, the Italian can also replace Kovacic and introduce someone like Ross Barkley or Ruben Loftus-Cheek in the said position, thus giving him much more tactical flexibility.
Attack
Sarri should definitely try to utilise the quality of Chelsea youngster Callum Hudson-Odoi, who has already been a subject of major transfer speculation. And not giving him enough chances during the remainder of this campaign despite holding onto the player in January amid interest from Bayern Munich will certainly irk the fans as well as the player.
Hudson-Odoi and Eden Hazard will, therefore, occupy the wider attacking roles while Gonzalo Higuain will spearhead the Chelsea attack.
The Argentine has already netted three goals since arriving in the January transfer window and will certainly play a key role for the club in the coming months as he gets more used to the pace of the league.
