Breaking new “I’ll not start him” Chelsea manager name a player he’ll not start again the gunners on Saturday because he wanted to score allot of goals
Mauricio Pochettino will be desperate to extend Chelsea’s three-game winning streak when they face Arsenal this weekend. The Blues will welcome Mikel Arteta’s side to Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon in what is expected to be a blockbuster London derby.
Chelsea will have to be at their very best in order to stop the Gunners. Arsenal have enjoyed an unbeaten start to the Premier League campaign, dropping points in draws to only Tottenham and Fulham.
As for the Londoners, they struggled to get points on the board in the early stages of the season. However, Pochettino has been working his players hard on the training ground and everything seems to be slowly falling into place.
So, with that being said, football.london has taken a look at the best possible starting lineup which Chelsea could field this weekend…
Formation
The Blues flourished against Fulham and Burnley after Pochettino made a small tweak to his side’s formation. Instead of leaning towards a 4-2-3-1, the 51-year-old opted for a 4-3-3 with Moises Caicedo sitting slightly deeper than Enzo Fernandez and Conor Gallagher.
The Ecuadorian shielded Chelsea’s backline excellently while his counterparts pulled the strings in the middle of the park. After enjoying so much success after making this minor change, Pochettino should continue with a 4-3-3.
Defence
Robert Sanchez hasn’t put a foot wrong since joining the west Londoners in the summer. Neither has Levi Colwill, who was rewarded with his England debut over the international break, or Axel Disasi, who’s quickly become a key defender in Chelsea’s backline.
Marc Cucurella has done well at right-back in the absence of Malo Gusto, who’s been serving a ban, and Reece James, who’s been nursing a hamstring issue. With the Frenchman and the Englishman both set to return to the matchday squad this weekend, Pochettino has a difficult decision to make – stick with the Spaniard, go with Gusto or throw James into the deep end.
Or, the Chelsea boss could reshuffle his defence to keep Cucurella in the side with Colwill shifting across back into centre-half. Although that would come at the expense of Thiago Silva…
Midfield
As aforementioned, Caicedo and Fernandez provide Chelsea with great balance in midfield. While it’d be nice to see Noni Madueke return to the lineup and push Palmer into the No.10 role, Gallagher is another player who hasn’t put a foot wrong. But, so long as the former Manchester City star can prove he’s match fit, Pochettino should go with Palmer – an incredible playmaker who could play the ‘Christopher Nkunku role’ excellently against Arsenal.
Attack
The ideal Chelsea frontline this weekend sees Mykhailo Mudryk on left and Raheem Sterling on the right. Now, the biggest headache is who leads the line – Nicolas Jackson or Armando Broja?
After marking his return from suspension with a fantastic finish against Burnley, Pochettino should put his faith back in the former Villarreal striker. Broja off the bench isn’t a bad option either!
Starting lineup
Robert Sanchez; Marc Cucurella, Levi Colwill, Axel Disasi, Reece James; Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez; Mykhailo Mudryk, Cole Palmer, Raheem Sterling; Nicolas Jackson.
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