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Antonio Conte has a different selection headache at Chelsea this weekend

By Vishnu Raj

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 20: Antonio Conte, Manager of Chelsea gives his team instructions during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on August 20, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 20: Antonio Conte, Manager of Chelsea gives his team instructions during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on August 20, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images) /
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Until last week Antonio Conte’s biggest headache was cobbling together a starting XI. Chelsea lacked senior players because of injuries and suspensions. Conte has a different kind of selection headache this time around.

For Everton’s visit, Antonio Conte has to consider Cesc Fabregas’ and Pedro’s strong second half performance against Tottenham. Gary Cahill is still serving suspension and Eden Hazard is not yet ready to feature. Conte may have even more decisions once the upcoming international break is over, as he should have his regular squad available plus the the possibility of last-minute transfers.

Last week, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen had very good outings, with the latter impressing particularly. David Luiz is unlikely to repeat in the midfield, and will probably be in the middle of the back-three. However, with Cesar Azpilicueta in the team, one of the youngsters will need to make way for Luiz.

Christensen played mostly in the center, where Luiz usually operates. Christensen may move to left of the defence, which will help him adjust to that side while learning from Luiz. This will leave Rudiger out of the lineup. He finished well against Spurs, after struggling in the beginning of the match, particularly against Harry Kane. However, Christensen had a better all-around game and Azpilicueta is indispensable.

Conte will likely revert back to the 3-4-3 formation against Everton, rather than lining up his team in the 3-5-2 formation he used against Spurs. Pedro is favorite to start alongside Willian and Morata.

Before the start of the season, Cesc Fabregas was a sure bet to start in the middle. But the impressive display from still-not-100%-fit Tiemoue Bakayoko – in his first Chelsea appearance against a major rival, no less – makes the selection process difficult for Conte. The fact that both of them provide a different type of output does not make things easier. Conte will have to weigh what they each offer against what he expects out of Ronald Koeman’s Everton.

Next: Five things to look for as Chelsea welcome Everton to Stamford Bridge

This week will see a little bit more strength on the bench for Chelsea. On the back of a very good result, Chelsea should be confident to get all three points. With the first international break of the season coming up, a victory will keep everyone around Chelsea in good spirits.

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