Chelsea does not have long to lick their wounds as they host Tottenham. Which XI will Frank Lampard choose to stay ahead of Jose Mourinho?
Chelsea really could not afford to start their difficult run of games poorly but that is what happened (regardless of how injustice it may or may not have been). The Blues cannot spend long licking their wounds however as Tottenham Hotspur is coming. Frank Lampard tactically outclassed his former manager last time, but this time both teams are injury ravaged and Jose Mourinho will want it more. Lampard will need to shake things up.
Willy Caballero, 13, Goalkeeper, Argentina
So yeah, this seems to be a thing. Kepa Arrizabalaga had been slipping off for a while, but to see him dropped twice now is somewhat surprising. Not that Caballero is necessarily a bad keeper, he is just a bit eccentric at times. What it does mean for Arrizabalaga is that he will have a massive uphill battle when his next chance does come to prevent a signing in the summer.
Cesar Azpilicueta, 28, Left back, Spain
Azpilicueta has been a bit of a Swiss Army knife this season as he has plugged in wherever Lampard is most disappointed with his options. Given the 3-4-3 worked so well against Tottenham last time, and the recent (and weird) lack of Fikayo Tomori, look for Azpilicueta to suit up in his old spot from the Antonio Conte days of 3-4-3.
Andreas Christensen, 4, Center back, Denmark
Christensen supposedly has a broken nose, but he is getting a special mask to make him eligible to play against Tottenham. That can only mean one thing: he is about to have the game of his life. Seriously, for the last decade and change, any player in a mask has been an other worldly version of themselves. It even got Fernando Torres scoring! Christensen in a mask will turn into one of the best defenders in the world, if only for the day.
Antonio Rudiger, 2, Center back, Germany
The side center backs in a back three almost need to be somewhat between center back and full back, so they require a pretty significant skill set. Tomori could (and has) done the role before, but perhaps because of set pieces Lampard has decided to give Rudiger more of a solid go. Really, it does not make a great deal of sense how quickly Tomori has dropped off, but Lampard has more details than the rest of the world on those decisions.