Chelsea has little rest as they host Liverpool in the FA Cup. The Blues need some rotation but there are too many injuries to make that an option.
Chelsea’s response to the Bayern beat down can be best described as stop start. Chelsea did terribly till the first goal, then did really well until the first goal conceded. Then they went terrible again and by 2-1 they at least woke up enough to draw level. Liverpool may have only just suffered their first league loss of the season, but they will not allow that to distract them from the job against Chelsea. With the players fit, Frank Lampard will need to find some solutions.
Willy Caballero, 13, Goalkeeper, Argentina
Again, the longer Caballero continues to start, the more certain it is that Kepa Arrizabalaga’s days are done in Blue. In fact, it is probably safer than not to say that since the Bayern match. There is always the chance, however slim, that Arrizabalaga gets his return for the cup. Overall, however, Caballero just seems like a more secure choice at the back.
Cesar Azpilicueta, 28, Left back, Spain
3-4-3 probably does suit Chelsea best overall with the current squad but it has a few major drawbacks. One is the fact that it almost guarantees both Azpilicueta and Reece James start together as a center back and a right wing back. There are alternatives of course, but the Blues are thin at the back for a back three and the options for wing back are basically wingers. So unless the formation change happens again, Azpilicueta will have to become the iron man again.
Kurt Zouma, 5, Center back, France
Kurt Zouma has had only two starts in 2020, and came on for Andreas Christensen at halftime against Manchester United. A Christensen injury will once again bring Zouma into the squad, but this time from the start, as Frank Lampard said Christensen has a small injury that will likely keep him out of the lineup.
Lampard brought Fikayo Tomori back for Bournemouth, and it didn’t go well in a necessary kind of way. Zouma will have his chance to earn his place in the back line, which is an unfortunately low bar.
Antonio Rudiger, 2, Center back, Germany
It is not necessarily a knock against Fikayo Tomori that he struggled at times against Bournemouth. After all, he had missed at least a month of playing time for, well, reasons. It still is not entirely clear why Tomori got ghosted for so long but it is clear that it has dulled him somewhat.
Lampard has been known to stick with the young players through a rough game, but for Liverpool it seems more likely Rudiger returns.