Maurizio Sarri has the good problem of a lot of in form Chelsea players. Against Burnley, he may have found a way to get more on the pitch.
Pedro’s stomach ache against Burnley forced Maurizio Sarri to make a unique adjustment. With no wingers on the bench, he opted to bring on the very much in form Ruben Loftus-Cheek. The Englishman was not quite a winger but was not quite a midfielder either.
In fact, Loftus-Cheek’s introduction had a domino effect. Not only was his position loosely defined, but so too did nearly every other midfielders’ and wingers’. Only Alvaro Morata (and then Olivier Giroud) and Jorginho held the same rough spot all match.
This showed two things. The first is that Sarri is not tied intrinsically to a 4-3-3 in the traditional sense. The second is that he stumbled upon a way to get his most in form players on the pitch at the same time because the 4-3-3 does not need to be strict in its traditional roles. In short, Sarri can now get his most in form players on the pitch at the same time and maintain the overall set up.
Many positions are set. Kepa Arrizabalaga is a lock (obviously). The only real battle in the back line is between Andreas Christensen and David Luiz and that is still very much in Luiz’s favor. Jorginho and N’Golo Kante are guarantees for midfield. Eden Hazard, when fit, will always start. And Morata versus Giroud is a coin flip but one is always going to be playing.
That leaves two spots up for grabs: one in midfield and one on the wing. Or rather, it seemed so until the Burnley match. Given how free the midfield and wingers were to rotate and move wherever was needed in that match, the exact type of player matters less than if they can perform their role in tandem with others. This opens the door for the most in form players to get on to the pitch.
Right now, the most in form players available for those two spots are Mateo Kovacic, Ross Barkley, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Pedro cannot seem to find his early season consistency (thanks to injury) and Willian is simply inconsistent overall.
Getting two of Kovacic, Barkley, and Loftus-Cheek on would give Chelsea an edge they may have been missing. Kovacic adds a great shield in midfield whereas Barkley and Loftus-Cheek have proven capable of both creating chances on their own and finding teammates to do so.
The go to play at the moment might be Kovacic and one of the Englishmen. On paper, the formation might resemble a 4-3-1-2 or a 4-3-2-1. If Sarri wants to go even more attacking, he can swap Kovacic for the remaining Englishman. If Sarri wants width, he can add one of the wingers back to the formation.
It remains to be seen whether Sarri will do this from the start or not. It worked well against Burnley but that is of course only one game. And it was a forced decision not a chosen one. But if Sarri is able to get another midfielder on at the expense of a winger, he must. Chelsea played their best football of the season with only one winger and four midfielders on the pitch. If it can be repeated as well as against Burnley, it must become the main thrust of the starting XI.