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Chelsea: Three defensive mid options if no one arrives on deadline day

By Travis Tyler

Chelsea's Danish defender Andreas Christensen (L) vies with Liverpool's Senegalese striker Sadio Mane during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge in London on September 20, 2020. (Photo by NEIL HALL / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by NEIL HALL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Chelsea's Danish defender Andreas Christensen (L) vies with Liverpool's Senegalese striker Sadio Mane during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge in London on September 20, 2020. (Photo by NEIL HALL / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by NEIL HALL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 03: Jorginho scores Chelsea’s second goal from the penalty spot during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on October 03, 2020 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Visionhaus)
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 03: Jorginho scores Chelsea’s second goal from the penalty spot during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on October 03, 2020 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Visionhaus) /

Chelsea needs to find a defensive midfield option to fully step up. With deadline day closing shortly, who are the in house options if no one arrives?

Chelsea has pursued Declan Rice for much of the window. Most recently, rumors of Thomas Partey being pulled out from Arsenal have begun. Unfortunately, deadline day is here and the window is closing shortly. The Blues need a defensive midfielder but it looks unlikely that one will come in. N’Golo Kante can perform the role, but the squad can’t be built around one singular option. So who are some in house options to cover until at least January?

1. Jorginho

On paper, Jorginho fills the defensive midfield role already, at least in a 4-3-3. The main issue with this choice is that he is not ideal defensively. Yes, he has a lot of tackles and interceptions. What doesn’t show up on a stats sheet is how often he gets beat in behind with little to no hope of catching up. Stats also don’t show how often he commands the centerbacks to come out of position to defend rather than doing the job himself.

That being said, against highly defensive teams where Chelsea will have the majority of possession, Jorginho is a good option. On his best days, like Crystal Palace (which if we’re being honest, is about once every two months), Jorginho can run the show. In the 4-2-3-1 pivot with Kante, Jorginho was able to help the side build from the back and he freed Kante up to press the opponent as he swept behind him.

This already seems to be an option Frank Lampard considers while understanding the limitations of it. He can’t use Jorginho as a defensive midfielder against a team like Liverpool and expect it to work well behind dual eights. Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic on together is a bit redundant and Kante next to him is very conservative. It is an option, just not an ideal one.

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