Chelsea: Creating a Second Starting XI With the Senior Squad
Chelsea has a very talented senior squad. One so talented a second starting XI can be made by Frank Lampard.
The Blues are one of those teams where they can potentially make a second starting XI. Very few teams could do that, Manchester City and Liverpool would be the others who could do it comfortably.
If Chelsea were to create a second starting lineup, it would be in the 4-2-3-1 formation as that is what Frank Lampard has regularly used this season. But to create a second starting XI, players who would normally start in the team would not be included.
That includes Kepa, Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Christensen, James, Kanté, Kovacic, Jorginho, Mount, Abraham, and Willian. Any other player would be free to use in a second starting XI.
GK: Willy Caballero
Willy Caballero is the only option here as there are no other goalkeepers left to make a second XI. Caballero has not done too well this season as he has made a total of 9 appearances this season, but has conceded 14 goals. He mainly appeared in matches where Chelsea was heavily favored to win. There was a string of matches where Caballero was selected to start due to Kepa’s continuous poor performances.
LB: Marcos Alonso
The only options here are Marcos Alonso and Emerson Palmieri. Alonso is the easy choice as he has more experience, is a better defender, and is a much better goalscorer. Under Lampard’s new system, Alonso has not been given a chance. In his few appearances this season, he has made the most of them, but still cannot get a break.
RB: Emerson Palmieri
This is the one position where someone would have to play out of position. Emerson has never played at right-back for Chelsea, but it would not hurt to see what he can do. Emerson is a pretty fast player and can play good crosses into the box. His attributes allow him to be a good wing-back, both left and right.
CB: Kurt Zouma and Fikayo Tomori
Both Kurt Zouma and Fikayo Tomori played a lot in the team this term. Zouma has had a poor showing so far and many of his mistakes cost Chelsea some crucial points. With Rudiger’s injury, Zouma was the man chosen to be in the starting XI but he once again, could not play to expectations.
He has been playing in the Premier League for quite some time now and still has not been able to make a difference. It seems like he won’t anytime in the future.
Fikayo Tomori is one of those players who Lampard brought into the senior team this season. Tomori was a solid center back and had a couple of nice highlights but soon he was not included in the squad too often upon Rudiger’s return from injury.
Most likely, Lampard would like for Tomori to progress a little bit more before he can regularly be in the starting XI or even on the bench.