Chelsea are missing many of their starters. They can’t make an emergency signing, so we can at least wonder what a combined XI with Everton would look like.
Chelsea are without most of their wingers, most of their midfielders, their starting striker and possibly a centreback. A combined XI with Everton could be the best way to find a functional 4-4-2 wearing some shade of blue.
Goalkeeper: Kepa Arrizabalaga (Chelsea)
On one side, we have the English David De Gea. Jordan Pickford doesn’t always let in goals, but when he does, they have a strong tendency to be howlers. He’s nominally his country’s No. 1, which has to be a source of distress and consternation for the national manager. And he plays for a team strongly associated with Wayne Rooney.
On the other side is David De Gea’s supposed heir in Spain, Kepa Arrizabalaga. Except Arrizabalaga is currently keeping De Gea in Spain’s starting XI.
Based on very recent form, the nod goes to Arrizabalaga. He was excellent against Liverpool, so we can say he is learning and improving and will soon surpass De Gea once and for all. But spare a thought for Gareth Southgate and Luis Enrique when they have to make their goalkeeping decisions.
Right back: Reece James (Chelsea)
Reece James is by far the youngest option available from either team. This combined XI will have more speed up top than the Blues have in this Tammy Abraham-less era, so the side will need full-backs who can keep pace with the attackers to overlap and put crosses into the box.
His counterpart on the left, though, is even more offensively-minded. James will have to be very attuned to his defensive duties, and not allow himself to get complacent in transitions or a lot will fall onto the centrebacks.
Centreback: Yerry Mina (Everton)
Chelsea’s centrebacks are completely unsettled and often unreliable, so even though they should all be available for this game the side might be better off with at least one Everton centreback. Michael Keane is gaffe-prone and Mason Holgate is versatile but relatively young, so Mina gets the nod.
Centreback: Fikayo Tomori (Chelsea)
Tomori did not have a strong game against Bournemouth, his first Premier League appearance of 2020. That latter fact probably explains the earlier assessment. His absence was an odd situation since he wasn’t injured and there were no reports of, well, anything. He simply disappeared from the lineup despite being the Blues’ best centreback for most of the first half of the season.
The game against Bournemouth was almost a necessary evil, and should not keep him out of any actual, imagined, predicted or combined XI’s. Particularly not when held up against the other centrebacks of either team.
Left back: Lucas Digne (Everton)
Lucas Digne is cleared to return, which comes just in time for this combined XI. Chelsea’s awkwardness at left back is well-documented. Marcos Alonso had his best game in the position on Tuesday against Liverpool, but that was in large part due to the Watford-inspired 6-3-1 Frank Lampard rightly deemed necessary to beat Liverpool. No such defensive structure is necessary here (out of curiosity: who do combined XI’s play against? honestly, I’ve never thought of that before).
Digne leads Everton with five assists and 58 key passes. He’ll be able to continue doing that in this combined XI with his teammates up top, and will be a dual threat with James on the right.