Chelsea will face Aston Villa among strange circumstances. Who is fit, and more importantly, who is well to play this match?
Unless the Premier League does (or has) change their mind about games going on this weekend, the Blues are set to go to Birmingham and face the nearly down and out Aston Villa. Villa will seemingly be one of the “moral victors” of this relegation battle as they drop while trying to play a particular way. Not every newly promoted club can be a Bournemouth or Sheffield United, but that does not mean the Blues can take it easy.
Kepa Arrizabalaga, 1, Goalkeeper, Spain
Arrizabalaga appears to be back on top of the perch, at least for now. The new keeper rumors have not gone away, but they have changed from “replacement” to “competition”. Frank Lampard seemingly wants two first team goalkeepers like the likes of Barcelona or Real Madrid have. It is ambitious, but until then Arrizabalaga can get a head start on the competition.
Cesar Azpilicueta, 28, Right back, Spain
Lampard’s rotation when it comes to young players has been somewhat odd as of late. There is the matter of Fikayo Tomori being virtually absent since New Year’s. Then there is the case of Reece James. Now, James is not perfect (yet) by any means, but he has shown enough to be trusted just like Tomori did. Azpilicueta may be more trusted, but it would be odd to go without James for much longer.
Antonio Rudiger, 2, Center back, Germany
Part of Tomori falling out has been Rudiger filling in. The only point about that, however, is that Rudiger has hardly been himself since returning from injury. He has not necessarily been bad, but he seems to consistently be the weak link at the back. But for whatever reason, Lampard seems more willing to stick with Rudiger’s hiccups than he does for others.
Kurt Zouma, 15, Center back, France
Zouma has slowly found his way back into the lineup after a few weeks of being on the fringe. Zouma has had a topsy turvy season at times but has generally landed on his feet. In truth, he is performing far more like Rudiger is expected to than Rudiger has been. Andreas Christensen is a bit in and out around Zouma but in a back four, the Frenchman seems to win out.
Marcos Alonso, 3, Left back, Spain
Alonso has firmly solidified his place back into the XI, which usually means the manager will play him until his legs will not move anymore. It is a cycle that happened with Antonio Conte and Maurizio Sarri and now Lampard seems to be following suit. Alonso needs rest too, but it seems more often than not that the alternative is simply not worth the rotation. At least, not until Alonso is an empty gas tank.