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Chelsea had a poor show in the Premier League last season. They finished fifth in the league, which means they will not be playing in the Champions League this term.
Chelsea sacked manager Antonio Conte after the dismal finish, and replaced him with Maurizio Sarri. Sarri will need to re-build the confidence in the squad if they want to achieve something of note this season.
The transfer window for the Premier League clubs is now closed. Chelsea were rather busy for the last two days: they signed Kepa from Athletic Bilbao at world record fee of €80 million. They even offloaded Thibaut Courtois and received Mateo Kovacic as a loanee from Real Madrid.
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Here we take a look at how Chelsea are likely to line up this season.
(N.B: The transfer fees are according to transfermarkt.com)
Goalkeeper: Kepa Arrizabalaga
Chelsea signed Kepa on the second last day of the transfer window at a world record fee for any goalkeeper.
Kepa is a Spanish goalkeeper and he is quite brilliant. He is a very safe shot-stopper with amazing reflexes. Kepa is capable of saving close range shots when the defense is beaten.
His kicking ability could also help them produce faster counter-attacks. According to Whoscored.com, Kepa made more accurate long balls than any other player in La Liga last season.
According to OptaJose, he had the third most saves from shots inside the box in La Liga. He even saved two penalties out of three in the last season.
A goalkeeper of such humongous capabilities will be difficult to beat. But it remains to see how he performs in his first Premier League season.
Defenders:
Antonio Rudiger
Rudiger has been a regular starter for Chelsea as the center-back, and has played for 27 matches in Premier League in total. He is 6ft 3in tall which will help Chelsea enormously in the set pieces.
Rudiger scored two goals and assisted one for Chelsea in the league last season.
He has pace and solid defensive technique, which every modern defender should have. Rudiger will help Chelsea in stopping counter-attacks and goals from the air given his body structure and physique.
David Luiz / Andreas Christensen / Gary Cahill
Chelsea has a number of defenders in the squad, but it seems that Sarri prefers David Luiz over Cahill and Christensen.
Luiz only started nine times for Chelsea under Conte last season. However, he played in all pre-season games for Chelsea and even community Shield.
With the experience of Cahill and Luiz, Chelsea will be a defensive force to reckon with. Christensen, meanwhile, performed exceptionally for Denmark in this year's World Cup. He is just 22 years old which will add energy and quickness to the Chelsea defense.
Full-Backs:
Marcos Alonso and César Azpilicueta
Marcos Alonso is a Spanish defender who plays as a left-back. He joined Chelsea in August 2016 and has never looked back since.
Alonso was a regular starter for Chelsea in the previous two seasons under manager Antonio Conte. He scored 7 goals and assisted 3 in the Premier League last season. Alonso is also capable of scoring free-kicks, which is an exceptional attribute for a defender.
Cesar Azpilicueta has been a regular starter for Chelsea since he joined them in 2012. He is capable of providing accurate and efficient crosses.
Azpilicueta is 28 years old and will be vital to the Chelsea defense due to his experience.
Midfielders:
Kante
Sarri will play new Kante and new recruit Jorginho in the defensive midfield role.
Kante has been phenomenal for both Chelsea and France. He is often called the best defensive midfielder in the world, and is capable of making interceptions and even holding the ball for a long time.
Kante was the most influential player for Leicester City when they won the league in 2016.
Jorginho
Sarri has immense faith in Jorginho, who was with him at Napoli too. Jorginho was the main reason why Napoli finished second in the league; he played the most passes in the Serie A last season among Europe's top five leagues.
Matteo Kovacic / Cesc Fabregas
Matteo Kovacic was signed as a loanee on the last day of the transfer window, as part of the deal in which Courtois moved to Real Madrid.
Kovacic is the kind of player that suits Sarri's style of play. He can do both dribbling and passing, which will be crucial for Chelsea under Sarri
According to Squawka, Matteo Kovacic completed 115 take-ons at a success rate of 82.40% - mind-boggling numbers.
Fabregas can be the alternative when Kovacic is not able to play due to any reason. Fabregas is a Spanish footballer known for his passing skills. He can be a game-changer on his day.
Fabregas was included in the squad for the Community Shield, which indicates that he will form a key part of the manager's plans this season.
Sarri has a number of other options in midfield too such as Victor Moses, Drinkwater and Ross Barkley.
Wingers: Hazard and Willian
Hazard has been the best Chelsea player since he joined them in 2012. He is capable of making long runs that other players can't even think of.
Hazard was among the best players at this year's World Cup. Though he doesn't score many goals, he has a knack of making goals for the team.
Willian is a player in a similar mold. He scored 6 goals and provided 8 for the club last season in the Premier League. Willian is also capable of scoring long-range goals.
With the number of quality players in the central midfield, Hazard and Willian will play without fear and can help Chelsea win matches by scoring and assisting them too.
Sarri can also play Pedro when Hazard or Willian are not available.
Strikers: Morata / Giroud / Batshuayi
Chelsea have depth in almost every position except the strikers. They have just a handful of center-forwards which include Alvaro Morata, Olivier Giroud and Michy Batshuayi.
Morata has not performed well in the pre-season, which will be a worry for Sarri. Batshuayi, on the other hand, was on loan for Borussia Dortmund last season where he performed quite well.
Sarri will hope that Batshuayi performs well when he is given a chance to play for a club of this stature.
The manager has another striking option in Giroud, who can be used as a substitute and help Chelsea score some goals. While his stats may not be too impressive, Giroud is a strong physical presence and can create goals when required.
