A procession was expected at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night and a procession is exactly what the Chelsea faithful enjoyed.
5-0 win over Barrow in the third round of the Carabao Cup extended the Blues’ winning streak to four games in all competitions. Enzo Maresca’s purr.
Chelsea mitigated a test they have often failed of late away to West Ham United last weekendwith Maresca’s team emerging as a supreme counter-attacking force. The Italian’s adaptability will be put to the test again on Saturday when Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton & Hove Albion come to town with the aim of making Seagull history. Never before had they started a top-flight season of six games without a win.
Here’s the team Maresca could pick at the Bridge this weekend.
GK: Robert Sanchez – Sanchez appears to have found his feet in west London at the start of his second season. The Spaniard had a quiet start as he kept another clean sheet West Ham last weekend
RB: Bad flight – The Frenchman played 45 minutes on his return from injury on Tuesday night and should be fine for another start on Saturday. His return is a big boost.
CB: Wesley Fofana – Maresca, unlike Mauricio Pochettino, has found stability at the heart of Chelsea’s defense and Fofana will remain in the XI.
CB: Levi Colwill – The left-back has been in the limelight for some time now and Colwill has been excellent at the start of the new season. It has emerged as the linchpin of this Chelsea backline.
LB: Marc Cucurella – The Euro 2024 winner is the coach’s proven and trusted lieutenant at left back. Although Ben Chilwell has been reinstated, Cucurella remains the firm number one choice.
CM: Moises Caicedo – Caicedo endured a rather indifferent debut season but has enjoyed a stellar start to 2024/25. He is central to Chelsea’s counter-attacking success and set up Nicolas Jackson’s second at the London Stadium with a through ball.
CM: Enzo Fernandez – Maresca has confirmed that Romeo Lavia is back this weekend, but the former Southampton midfielder, who started the season with an excellent performance on Matchday 1, will not replace Fernandez in Saturday’s starting line-up. However, he should get minutes off the bench.
RW: Now Madueke… The Englishman has built up an impressive season leading up to the first month of the 2024/25 season. There is plenty of competition on Chelsea’s flanks, so Madueke must continue his scintillating form to pull away from those below him on the depth chart.
AM: Cole Palmer – Remember the people who said Palmer was destined to struggle under Maresca after the first weekend of the season? The England international has the talent to thrive regardless of the manager on the sidelines.
LW: Jadon Sancho – Back home in London, Sancho sees himself with complete ease. He has quickly established himself as a key figure in Maresca’s Chelsea.
ST: Nicolas Jackson – Jackson is certainly taking advantage of some of the xG he wasted in year one. The Chelsea striker keeps out Christopher Nkunku Premier League XI and developing a powerful relationship with Palmer.
