The Chelsea faithful have enjoyed a lot of thrashing this season, but they would certainly settle for the most turgid of triumphs over Bournemouth on Tuesday night.
The Blues go into their next clash with Bournemouth without a win in four Premier League games. A 5-0 rout of EFL opposition the weekend ensured a few smiles were back on faces after a difficult couple of weeks, but they’ll be back in tatters if their winless league run is extended against the Cherries.
Tinkerman Maresca rotated heavily for the visit of Morecambe at the weekend, with wholesale changes expected again despite Chelsea’s comfortable win.
Here’s how the Blues could line up.
GK: Robert Sánchez – It will take a little more than the clean sheet against Morecambe for Filip Jorgensen to replace Sanchez as Chelsea’s number one.
RB: Bad flight – Reece James returned to the starting eleven on Saturday and struggled to feature in midweek. However, Maresca will have to be careful with his captain in the face of injury problems.
CB: Tosin Adarabioyo – The classy centre-half enjoyed himself at the weekend, scoring an incredibly rare brace. Bosman’s arrival has proven to be a decent addition to this Chelsea team, replacing Wesley Fofana over the past month.
CB: Levi Colwill – Only three Chelsea players have accumulated more playing minutes than Colwill (1,709) this season, with the centre-back exclusively starting Premier League games.
LB: Marc Cucurella – Renato Veiga posed no threat to Cucurella, but the arrival of the summer looks set for a quick exit anyway. Spanish is one of Maresca’s favourites.
CM: Moises Caicedo – The caicedo is the most used Chelsea player of the season, and his importance to the Blues has been evident in the second year. He scored from the halfway line in this game to close out 2023/24.
CM: Enzo Fernández – It won’t be long until Maresca return the Caicedo x Lavia pivot to the Premier League and the latter recently returned from another injury setback. Like James, however, the midfielder will come back in and Fernandez will start alongside Caicedo on Tuesday.
RM: Pedro Neto – There won’t be many holding onto their place from Saturday’s win, but Neto could with Noni Madueke nursing an illness.
AM: Cole Palmer – Palmer benefited from the size of Chelsea’s squad, with Maresca retaining his flair for this competition. The English playmaker has contributed 19 goals in 20 games this season and has continued to produce amid the Blues’ recent slump.
LM: Jadon Sancho – Sancho has become Maresca’s preferred option on the left flank, but will need an increase in production to win over a demanding fan base. The winger has eight goals this season.
ST: Nicolas Jackson – The Chelsea striker has been in poor form over the last month and is in desperate need of a goal. Perhaps Maresca should have given him some minutes at the weekend, but instead he heads into Tuesday’s game fresh (and shy).
