Chelsea have the players to reconquer midfield (but Nabil Fekir would help)

Chelsea’s supporters used to be able to take pride in the club’s midfield. They should be able to do so again, with no more than one incoming transfer.

Frank Lampard. Claude Makelele. Michael Essien. Michael Ballack. Marcel Desailly. Gianfranco Zola. They were once all parts of Chelsea’s midfield (yes, Zola was at times a forward). To really understand how far things have fallen for Chelsea’s midfield in recent years, think of the current bunch. The only player who can hold a candle to the members of that group is N’Golo Kante.

Outside of Kante Chelsea have Cesc Fabregas (who can only play half a football match at a time), Danny Drinkwater, Ross Barkley and Tiemoue Bakayoko. None of them are world-beaters or anything close to it.

There is good news, though. Chelsea are not as far away from a decent midfield as it seems. Ruben Loftus-Cheek was one of the best midfielders in the Premier League last season, and even Chelsea recognized it.  Simply by recalling him Chelsea will add a lot of the missing physicality and dynamism to the team. Another piece of good news is Tiemoue Bakayoko. While he was the definition of awful last year, he will come good. He will. Bakayoko is something of a combination of Xabi Alonso and Patrick Viera when he is playing with full confidence, and that could be a great thing.

So right there Chelsea have two proper midfielders they did not have last season. Loftus-Cheek was busy on loan keeping Crystal Palace competitive, while Bakayoko recovered from a knee surgery before the team rushed his recovery, leading to a drop in his confidence.

Chelsea must stop this insane idea of tolerating a “partial” midfielder in certain formations. Cesc Fabregas is no longer a complete player who can start 85% of matches. Lower level opposition? Sure. As a massively useful impact sub? Absolutely! As a complete match-defining warrior from the off to take the battle to the opposition in the actual role of a central midfielder though? No. Never was and never will be.

Every single player in the midfield must be able to run, tackle, pass and intercept.  It is simply unacceptable to say “well, he is the defensive midfielder so he only does this” or “they’re the creative midfielder so they only do that.” Poor football sides have that mentality, and Chelsea need to dig themselves out of their idiotic hole.

The midfield picture is not that bad with the players Chelsea already have, giving Bakayoko the full season and summer behind him to regain his confidence and physicality.

Bakayoko is far better when the game is in front of him. It suits his style of play and mental game much better. He should be the defensive midfielder, but with his dynamism and range of passing it will be a more complete position again. He can move with the ball, pushing the forward players up and controlling the midfield line, and then stay behind the ball as the play moves. He can also pass 40 yards as easily as five yards, if need be.

N’Golo Kante is not Claude Makelele. Yes, they are both tiny and French. Congratulations for knowing that. But they are entirely different players. Makelele, for his unbelievable intelligence and tactical knowledge, was nowhere near as dynamic as Kante. Makelele could not cover the sort of ground Kante can. Kante should play further forward and not pushed into the Makelele role.

Kante is better utilized on the Eden Hazard side of the pitch as a more complete midfielder. Hazard is best with options around him: Alonso on the overlap and then Kante to initiate and contribute to the high press and move the ball on quickly. Ruben Loftus-Cheek, then, on the other side plays with his larger range of passing and pressing up to grab some goals like Michael Ballack.

This is essentially the most power-playing midfield this new era will probably ever see. Something of a Viera – Ballack – Essien engine would be nearly impossible to beat or break down, and would finally give Chelsea’s creative players the freedom they need to express themselves. It has no weaknesses.

Transfers needlessly complicate things. Chelsea only truly need a midfielder who can pull the strings as well as dynamically dominate turf, read the game and win 50-50’s. The patient move is for Chelsea to try the above midfield and see if it works. But if Bakayoko is not fulfilling his role, Chelsea should be looking at either Jorginho of Napoli, Julian Weigl of Dortmund or – just for the power of it – Nabil Fekir of Lyon.  Jorginho and Weigl would work almost precisely in the Bakayoko way. Fekir would change things quite significantly.

This is an iteration of the 4-3-3 that essentially becomes 2-2-5-1 in attack and 4-5-1 in defence. With this formation, Fekir comes from deep and then is flanked by both Loftus-Cheek and Kante moving forward. The defensive backs invert, much like Pep Guardiola’s did at Barcelona. Rather than overlapping, they move into the defensive midfield position.

Fekir is a very dynamic player. He tackles and tracks back well enough naturally that he does not hurt the focus of the midfield three by leaving Chelsea a man down without the ball.

The only way this works is if the entire team buys into the total football theory behind it. It would probably be the version that has Chelsea playing the most FIFA-fanboy beautiful football that everyone is clamoring for but few really understand how it works – or what it requires – in real life.

This last option is the least likely, and not as good for the club given their current state. Chelsea cannot be wasting money at the moment. As the smallest of the big-six, Chelsea need to make the most of what they have and who they are.

Next: Chelsea World Cup XI: Magic Rectangle has room for Ruben Loftus-Cheek

The first midfield, with or without Julian Weigl or Jorginho, delivers the Premier League title – bringing Champions League football back to Stamford Bridge.