Chelsea FC take on Swansea: four point preview

1. Pato to start – Khaled Abdallah

Aside from a few moments last week against Aston Villa, striker Alexandre Pato still looked a bit out of sorts for much of the match. He did well to both win the penalty and convert it but even against the worst team in the Premier League he did not stand out. In his defense it was his first live action in months so perhaps he was just shedding the rust but it would be worth seeing how he does against a decent side in Swansea.

There have been articles suggesting that Pato does not have a future at Chelsea FC and that the club brought him in simply to get in the good graces of super-agent Kia Joorabchian for future deals. Pato, according to these reports, is just using Chelsea as a bridge back to Europe and that his loan spell at Stamford Bridge is ultimately meaningless. The interesting thing to point out, though, is that he may indeed have a future here if he plays well in this last handful of games.

The Blues have a malcontent at striker in Diego Costa and he has proven to be just as volatile and prone to suspension as he was when he first arrived. They could go out and spend a boatload of cash on another striker to replace him but the club would still need a viable backup, a role which Pato could conceivably fill. If that is indeed the club’s train of thought, then expect Pato to get a solid run of games as the season winds down with a sprinkling of Costa and Bertrand Traore mixed in.

Next: 2. Post-appointment attitude