football.london takes an extensive look at Chelsea’s ‘dream’ line-up against Liverpool in the first competitive match since Mauricio Pochettino started his role as head coach.
Chelsea has until Sunday afternoon to sign Moises Caicedo before their Premier League opener against Liverpool.
The Blues are preparing a new bid for the Ecuador international, according to football.london, after Brighton turned down their previous three bids. The latest offer, thought to be worth roughly £80 million in total, was still far less than Brighton’s assessment of £100 million.
Chelsea, on the other hand, will ratchet up their efforts in the coming days as they attempt to fix the matter for what seems like the hundredth time this summer. Caicedo is eager to finalize the transfer, but he will only be able to do it if his employers cooperate.
Chelsea would want to get Caicedo in through the back door before facing Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. To do so, he must be registered as a Chelsea player by the Premier League before 12 p.m. on Friday afternoon, according to the official rules.
Caicedo sat out Brighton’s pre-season friendly against Rayo Vallecano as a precaution, but he will almost probably play this weekend – for Chelsea or the Seagulls. If the former, he might play with Enzo Fernandez in a double pivot in a 4-2-3-1 configuration. If not, there’s a good chance it’ll be youngster Andrey Santos.
Kepa Arrizabalaga will most likely be behind them. Despite the signing of Robert Sanchez from Brighton over the weekend, Kepa is certain to start against Liverpool, despite some doubts about his long-term future at Stamford Bridge.
The back-four mostly chooses itself in front of Kepa. When he is fit and well, Reece James is one of the top right-backs in Europe. If Chelsea can keep him fit for the majority of the season, the England international will undoubtedly contribute to Mauricio Pochettino’s first season at the club.
Ben Chilwell, on the other hand, might start despite Chelsea’s abundance of options at left-back. Chilwell appears to be the first-choice option, and the 26-year-old, like James, will be hoping for an injury-free season.
Even if Chelsea had all of its centre-backs available, Levi Colwill and Thiago Silva may have been the starters. They do not, however, with Benoît Badiashile recovering and Wesley Fofana likely to miss a big chunk of the season after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament recently.
If Caicedo signs, the choice between him and Enzo is quite difficult. It would have been Christopher Nkunku, although he is not set for a spell on the sidelines following Chelsea’s draw with Borussia Dortmund last week.
Michael Olise is being watched – and football.Chelsea are reportedly considering making an offer for the Crystal Palace winger. The player is interested in making the move across London, but nothing has been finalized as of yet.
The 21-year-old, though, is expected to miss the start of the season after suffering a tear to his hamstring while playing for France Under-21s this summer. The Frenchman is someone that can operate on the right-hand side and in the No.10 role; the exact sort of profile Chelsea are chasing this summer.
So that means, regardless of Olise being signed or not, Chelsea will look down a different route on Sunday. Ian Maatsen surprised many this summer with his performances in the pre-season tour of America.
The Dutchman, who spent last season on loan at Burnley, has been used in a variety of different positions, including on both sides of the attack. Maatsen is an option to start on the right-hand side with the early indications suggesting he suits Pochettino’s system very well.
If you would have said to anyone a couple of months ago that Maatsen could be starting the first game of the season for Chelsea, they would have looked at you funny. The fact he is even in contention is testament to his work over the summer.
Carney Chukwuemeka could be used in the middle, just behind the striker. The youngster has enjoyed an impressive pre-season with the Blues and will be hoping for a much busier campaign in terms of minutes on the pitch.
Mykhailo Mudryk, too, showed glimpses of his undeniable talent during the pre-season tour of the United States. The Ukraine international has been tipped by many to massively improve in his first full season in the Premier League. The 22-year-old is an option on the left-hand side on Sunday.
Finally, Nicolas Jackson looks set to start the game through the middle for Chelsea. The Senegal international, who was brought in for £30m from Villarreal earlier in the summer, scored twice and provided three assists over pre-season and is now the favourite to lead the line for Chelsea in their opening match of the Premier League.
Chelsea’s dream XI vs Chelsea: Kepa; James, Silva, Colwill, Chilwell; Fernandez, Caicedo; Maatsen, Chukwuemeka, Mudryk; Jackson