Chelsea vs Liverpool (1-1): Four talking points

Chelsea’s lack of reliable alternatives

Ross Barkley

Plenty expected Chelsea to have a slow start to the season due to the late arrival of Maurizio Sarri from Napoli. The Blues, however, have had a very impressive start to the season and are still unbeaten in all competitions. Much credit should be given to the recruitment by the club. Currently, Chelsea has a very settled starting eleven but other than the first eleven on the pitch, none of the players look to have a fixed role in the squad yet.

In midfield, Ross Barkley started the season but was soon replaced by Kovacic. Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Fabregas are coming back from injuries thus, limiting Chelsea’s options. At right back, Cesar Azplicueta while being solid, has looked largely unspectacular and Davide Zappacosta, on the other hand, has rarely featured. Callum Hudson-Odoi has not featured ever since the start of the season. At striker, none of the center forwards have scored enough goals with Morata hitting his only strike of the season against Arsenal at home and Olivier Giroud is yet to open his account for the season.

The season is long and Sarri should consider rotating the squad more in the cup competitions to give other squad members some sharpness and opportunity to gain some form. This could help the players to get more accustomed to the role which the manager's envisages them in. This can also help Sarri in Premier League if he needs to change during a game as a reliable substitute can often change the game and become the difference between a victory or a loss.

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