Football News: Team Review - Chelsea

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Team Review - Chelsea

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League Position: 1st

Ins And Outs

Ins:
Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan
Saul Niguez from Atletico Madrid (loan)
Marcus Bettinelli from Fulham

Outs:
Tammy Abraham to AS Roma
Kurt Zouma to West Ham United
Fikayo Tomori to AC Milan
Davide Zappacosta to Atalanta
Victor Moses to Spartak Moscow
Tiemoue Bakayoko to AC Milan (loan)
Olivier Giroud to AC Milan
Kenedy to Flamengo (loan)
Emerson to Olympique Lyonnais (loan)
Michy Batshuayi to Besiktas (loan)
Marco van Ginkel to PSV Eindhoven
Danilo Pantic to Partizan Belgrade
Izzy Brown to Preston North End
Jake Clarke-Salter to Coventry City (loan)
Abdul-Rahman Baba to Reading (loan)
Billy Gilmour to Norwich City (loan)
Matt Miazga to Alaves (loan)
Danny Drinkwater to Reading (loan)
Ethan Ampadu to Venezia (loan)
Willy Caballero released
Jamal Blackman released

Goalkeepers:

Edouard Mendy
Kepa Arrizabalaga
Marcus Bettinelli

Kepa is finally starting to look like a Premier League goalkeeper, giving them a very good pairing of keepers, with the ability to swap them about for cup games and have little drop off in quality. That could be the difference over a long, hard season, especially if Mendy should pick up a knock at a crucial time. Though you would worry about having to rely on him over a longer term, as a back up he is now looking very capable.

Defenders:

Antonio Rudiger
Andreas Christensen
Trevor Chalobah
Malang Sarr
Thiago Silva
Ben Chilwell
Marcos Alonso
Reece James
Cesar Azpilicueta

An excellent group of defenders for the system Tuchel is employing, they are very well suited to a back three and have a good mix of youth and experience. The issue is going to be keeping Silva fit, his age is against him and his injury problems are growing. Added to that, it is unlikely either him or Rudiger will be there next season, so there is investment needed in centre-backs. With it being the two senior centre-halves leaving, they will need to bring in some experience in that position. For this season though, they are in a very strong place, especially if Silva is fit.

Midfielders:

N'Golo Kante
Jorginho
Mateo Kovacic
Saul Niguez
Ruben Loftus-Cheek
Ross Barkley
Lewis Baker
Mason Mount
Kai Havertz
Hakim Ziyech
Charly Musonda Jr.

If Tuchel can get Saul back to form, then they have one of the strongest midfield groups in European football, though a bit bloated. The brilliance of Kante is coming towards an end, as injuries are beginning to bite and his availability could be key this season to Chelsea's chances of trophies. Getting Saul back to his excellent best would go a long way to covering for any absences by Kante. With the return of Loftus-Cheek to something approaching his potential the midfield looks to have a bit of everything. Though it must be said, it is difficult to see what Ziyech adds, if anything.

Forwards:

Christian Pulisic
Callum Hudson-Odoi
Romelu Lukaku
Timo Werner

Werner's struggles to score are very well-publicised, but less is made of just how much he creates for the team and how important that is. If only Tuchel can figure out how to get Lukaku to be a danger against top teams as well as being a flat-track bully, they would have a forward line to rival any other in the league. In a league season though, there are more points to be picked up against the lesser sides than there are against the other top sides, so it is not so vital. The other big issue is Pulisic, who is brilliant on his day, but spends far too much time injured to have his day regularly. How much longer can they give him before it is time to look elsewhere?

Manager: Thomas Tuchel

A very good man-manager who has learnt a lot from his time in Paris dealing with the huge egos there. That has stood him in good stead at Chelsea. The only question marks now over him are how his dealings with those above him, which have always ended badly in the past, and his tactics. While they can bring a level of success, they are overly defensive for the players at his disposal, which can lead to issues the moment there is any kind of setback. Right now that is not a worry as things could hardly be going any better for him.

Conclusion:

A squad and team fully capable of winning the Premier League this season, at worst they should finish top 3. The issue is that they could get caught out in big games against tough opposition with Lukaku leading the line, as he rarely effects when it matters in those. That is more of an issue in cup competitions and Europe than it is in the league though and they will certainly be challenging for the league title this season with a well-balanced squad that only really requires tweaking to remain competitive in the long-term.

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Written by Tris Burke November 08 2021 00:37:44