Mourinho and the Chelsea formation debate - Part 1

One player who is perfect for this position though, is Ramires. A typical box-to-box midfielder, Ramires makes his presence felt everywhere. He can beat anybody for pace and burst forward in the blink of an eye, and is equally aware about tracking back. Despite his small stature, he is not afraid to take a booking for the team with the odd bad but necessary foul.

Ramires is the engine of the team – the extra man in defence and attack, plus the spoilsport in the opponent’s move. If Mourinho continues with 4-2-3-1, Ramires is a definite starter.

David Luiz meanwhile is too similar a player to Ramires. Despite being a centre back to start with, fans would prefer to see him further up the pitch as his skill on the ball has outgrown his original position.

We saw how effective he could be from midfield under Benitez, specially considering his eye for a killer pass from deep. Yet, like Ramires, he is sure to make one dashing run forward and go for glory rather than stick to his starting position. He does nick the ball from the opponents’ feet, but is equally likely to concede a foul. Plus, one needs to get accustomed to the occasional howler (though they are getting increasingly rare).

This season is a crucial season for him, because he will need clarity on whether he is primarily a centre back or a defensive midfielder. Yet, playing Luiz in the midfield for a whole season seems risky.

John Obi Mikel has always split opinions and is reportedly considering a move. Right now, he is the only true defensive-minded midfielder in the first team, but sadly, his ability has always been subject to debate in spite of some heroic performances (the Champions League final in 2012 and the FA Cup game at Old Trafford stand out).

Mikel is still prone to the odd blunder of gifting possession in dangerous areas and still slows down the play way too much in transition. This was one of the reasons for Chelsea’s 4-2-3-1 being ineffective sometimes last season.

His understudy Oriol Romeu, who missed the majority of last season due to injury, has inexplicably been shipped out on loan (to Valencia), which leaves Nathan Ake and Nathaniel Chalobah as like-for-like alternatives. It would be too risky to sell Mikel now, with only two youngsters left to fill the void.

Daniele De Rossi

Perhaps this explains the club’s interest in Danielle De Rossi, a player perfectly complementing Ramires. While the former is more reliable than Mikel in holding up play and passing the ball, the latter can perform his destructive flying role.

Thus, if Chelsea intend to continue with 4-2-3-1, they must sign De Rossi to solve the problem of the ’2′ in it. Ramires and De Rossi will be sure starters then, while the likes of Lampard, van Ginkel, Luiz, Essien, Ake, McEachran and Chalobah would remain as secondary options.