Chelsea bounced back from their loss to Liverpool by sending reigning Premier League champions Leicester, out of the EFL Cup. This victory coupled with previous week's loss leads to a selection headache for manager Antonio Conte.
Arsenal await the London Blues at the Emirates as this early season derby match could give the bragging rights for being top dog in the capital city. The Italian head coach will have to select a team capable of shackling Arsenal's pace and quick passing.
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After a loss in their first big game of the season, Chelsea will look to implement Conte's tactics to perfection against Arsenal. With impressive performances from Cesc Fabregas and Marcus Alonso, we could see a different starting eleven take stage. Here are our suggestions that could make the cut for Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium:
Goalkeeper
No.1 Thibaut Courtois will remain in goal with his substitute Asmir Begovic not having the best of days against Leicester. Okazaki's first goal could be attributed to Begovic not coming quickly of the line which led to him being stranded in no man's land as the ball looped over him and crossed the line.
Begovic still had a lively game, but it is unlikely that he will start against Arsenal with him not doing enough to replace first-choice keeper Courtois. He will have to keep the ever-present danger which is Alexis Sanchez, at bay in a game where there are bound to be quick attacking plays. Arsenal are in a fine run of form with four wins and a draw from their last five matches.
Defence
The Chelsea defence looked very unsettled against Liverpool. Though they were more composed against Leicester, they let in two soft goals, to say the least. If you want to single out poor performers against the Reds, Branislav Ivanovic, and Gary Cahill were amongst the worst. Ivanovic was ripped apart at right back and his needless foul led to Liverpool working the ball to Coutinho, who whipped in a cross for Lovren to prod home. It was awful defending as the Red contingent in the box were completely unmarked.
David Luiz did have a bad game that day, but not as bad as Cahill who just never looked comfortable. Thus, Conte can now look to returning club captain John Terry to bring his solidity and experience in the heart of defence alongside David Luiz. The Terry-Luiz partnership could be interesting, but changes in the heart of defence are not always advisable.
Cesar Azpilicueta had a great game against Leicester after his move to right-back, and should return to face Arsenal. In the opposite flank, new signing Marcus Alonso impressed with his dribbling and passing looks to be a player of Conte's ideas.
Midfield:
Chelsea looked bereft of any creativity against Liverpool in midfield. N'Golo Kante, as usual, was all over the pitch and was doing his job to retrieve the ball and push it further forward. The other players seemed to be disillusioned by Liverpool's energy on the night. Nemanja Matic was particularly poor and was lacking in both the defensive as well as the creative department.
His chipped cross after taking out two sliding Liverpool players provided some consolation for Chelsea with Diego Costa volleying the ball into the net. Conte, though, will expect much more in terms of his tracking back and his ability to play balls forward.
Oscar was missing against Liverpool and had a poor game. Cesc Fabregas seems set to replace him in midfield with his wonderful game in the EFL Cup. New Blues manager Antonio Conte has pushed Fabregas out of the starting eleven, limiting him to cameo appearances. Fabregas, however, took the opportunity presented to him midweek with both hands as he scored two goals which completed a wonderful comeback win over Leicester at the King Power stadium.
Looking at Conte's Juventus and Italian teams, it is easy to figure out that he needs people who put in hard work and running across the pitch. His need for quick pressing and the requirement of quick players to implement them had left Fabregas adrift in the Chelsea squad. It seemed to Conte that Fabregas was not putting his shift of work for the team and looked set to be out of his plans.
The lack of game time and his unhappiness on the situation put many giant clubs on alert. Among them Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan were all said to be interested in the Spanish international, but his showing at Leicester could provide a U-turn for his career. The attention given to his availability though he was not playing, comes to show how a talented midfielder like him will always be wanted by some other club, if not Chelsea.
Fabregas looked a livewire on the night, though Chelsea fell two goals behind courtesy of Shinji Okazaki. The Spaniard was all over the pitch and his contributions bore fruit when he expertly found Gary Cahill from a corner which began Chelsea's comeback and set the tone for the game to come.
His involvement in all four goals showed his dominance in the game, and the excellent third goal which put Chelsea ahead was a great team goal finished aplomb by the man himself. The hunger and desire to prove himself on the pitch was evidently seen, and this masterclass has fans calling for his name on the starting team sheet for their upcoming all-London clash against Arsenal. The potential mind game against their rivals, by starting Cesc also adds to the build-up.
With a return of two goals and an assist on the night, Fabregas has made his statement to Conte. He has loads of experience and is not a World Cup winner for show. There are not many people in the footballing world who can play passes like he can, and he deserves credit for stepping up when the given the chance. He is a genius at what he does; dictating the tempo of the game and pulling strings around. A combination of Fabregas-Kante-Matic could be quite a fearsome trio in midfield for Chelsea.
Attack:
Though Pedro put in a positive appearance against Leicester, Conte will most likely go with his usual frontal three of Eden Hazard – Diego Costa – Willian. Diego Costa seems to be one of the first names on the Chelsea team sheet with his great run of form. The Spanish international is firing on all cylinders, but he could not do much against a dominant Liverpool.
He seems to be ideal for Conte, as he likes pressing from the front. Costa has been in fine touch, and his finishing has been top notch. The 27-year-old netted the winner at the Emirates last season, amidst some drama with Laurent Koscielny and Victor Gabriel. He seems to love riling up defenders and getting into their head, but should take caution to not take it a step too far.
The Daily Mail quoted Chelsea club legend Bobby Tambling ,"Diego Costa is a wonderful player... I think he can challenge to be Chelsea's all-time leading goalscorer".There have been comparisons with Didier Drogba, that they both have similar qualities as a lone striker.
Eden Hazard raised expectations once again with form in the first few games of the season. It has quietened down a little though with him not providing much in Chelsea's last three games. Regardless, Hazard is a truly world class player, and players like him can produce moments of magic to decide this kind of big games. Hector Bellerin will not be marauding forward as usual if he is to take care of the Belgian winger.
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