It may be too early to label Chelsea as title contenders, but the Blues are enjoying themselves going into the festive period and a good run to end the calendar year means they have a great chance of extending their unbeaten run .
Chelsea’s last Premier League defeat came at Anfield on October 20, against the Blues. 3-0 win at Aston Villa meaning they now have an identical record with second-placed Arsenal.
Enzo Maresca is proving at the highest level as an adaptable coach who is not afraid to play with the opposition. The Italian’s structures in and out of possession have aided Chelsea’s rise up the table, and they will be expected to overwhelm a lack of personnel. Southampton on wednesday
Here’s how the Blues could line up at St Mary’s.
GK: Robert Sánchez – Sánchez has achieved some stability among the Chelsea post and produced one of his best performances of the season in Sunday’s win. He continues to act as the club’s number one.
RB: Bad flight – Maresca opted for Moises Caicedo as a reversed right-back on Sunday, but could switch in midweek with Gusto returning to full-back. Reece James is sidelined.
CB: Tosin Adarabioyo – Injury to Wesley Fofana he’s opened the door to Chelsea’s back-up centre-back options, and it’s not often we see a pair of left-sided centre-backs working in tandem. Benoit Badiashile’s inclusion is therefore unlikely, with Tosin potentially preferred.
CB: Levi Colwill – The England international has been a mainstay in the Premier League this term but will have to familiarize himself with a new partner over the next month or so.
LB: Marc Cucurella – Cucurella has been a consistent player for Maresca and is unlikely to relinquish his place in the team despite Renato Veiga showing some promise in Europe.
CM: Moises Caicedo – The brilliant Ecuadorian is an unmissable presence in Chelsea’s midfield, and his versatility was highlighted on sunday as he freed Enzo Fernández by reversing from the side to join the pivot in the middle of the field.
CM: Romeo Lavia – Lavia has developed a great partnership with Caicedo, and his inclusion means Fernandez is likely to miss out. The Argentine has suddenly found good form and could be saved for Sunday’s clash with Tottenham.
RM: Noni Maduke – There is likely to be extensive rotation given Chelsea’s abundance of options. Madueke was used off the bench on Sunday after being a persistent starter earlier.
AM: Cole Palmer – His boss wanted to calm the conversation about a possible inclination of the title and Palmer echoed that sentiment after he scored his first Premier League goal in over a month on Sunday.
LM: Joao Felix – Jadon Sancho He impressed at the weekend and has a big role to play for the Blues this season, but his injury problems mean his minutes need to be managed. Maresca has been more than happy to give Félix his fair share of minutes this season, but Cucurella’s conservative role may force the playmaker to operate from a wider position than usual.
ST: Nicolas Jackson – How many strikers in the Premier League are they performing at a higher level than Jackson? The do-it-all striker added to his tally against Villa, and has now scored eight in the league this season. He has improved a lot in front of goal compared to his freshman year.
