Chelsea: Squad depth is redefining the Blues as serious title contenders

Chelsea’s serious squad depth is setting the Blues apart from other teams chasing the Premier League title early in the season.

Chelsea is no stranger to extravagant spending or sensational signings, yet this current mix of expensive inclusions and priceless talent has justified the often chastised formula of buying big to win big.

As Hakim Ziyech dropped on to the Stamford Bridge turf, under the attention of the Chelsea medical staff, hearts of the 2,000 fans inside the stadium must’ve dropped in a similar manner. Having just been involved in the leveler against Leeds United, the £33 million Moroccan was aided off the field, with damage to his hamstring the unfortunate outcome.

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A creator and conjurer of the unexpected, Ziyech’s absence would be stark to any side in Europe. Not when the Blues are concerned though. Frank Lampard has lost the brains from his band of merry men, but his evening replacement slotted seamlessly into the system and ended up on the scoresheet.

Christian Pulisic, sporting a quite terrific beard, enjoyed a performance that embodied his new facial accessory: maturity and boldness. Subbed on after just half an hour with the game tied, the American knew his contribution would be heavily reviewed since Ziyech had left the fray. His energy and spirit were rewarded with a goal in the dying embers that sealed three points, a 3-1 victory, and sent the Blues to the summit of the Premier League.

Despite not yet being a regular fixture this season, Pulisic proved that Chelsea’s squad depth is the strongest its been in years. Rotation has often been a necessity during Lampard’s short reign, but now it has become a luxury. Bring one eight-figure player off for another and the impact is equally eye-catching. Having been shackled by the transfer ban, the Chelsea manager has been set free upon the transfer market, and instead of putting on a blindfold and buying whatever he touches first. Like several of his predecessors, Lampard’s approach has been methodically calculated. Areas of deficiency have been covered, weak links have been cut loose and an actual team is forming.

Not since Antonio Conte’s 2016/17 revelation has Chelsea had such an organized unit, with real clarity of their style and tactics. Even then, the Italian relied heavily on his core starting XI, occasionally bringing in one or two others without wavering from the system. Before that, Jose Mourinho in 2014/15 also made a point of depending on consistency in his selection—with those in reserve used partially but wisely—that was key to the Portuguese’s third league title as Blues boss.

Such trust upon a specific set of individuals is no longer required from Lampard, as has been demonstrated by the likes of Pulisic and Olivier Giroud. There would have been riots had the Frenchman not been included against Leeds after his historic four-goal haul away to Sevilla midweek. He met the fanfare with the elegance and intelligence that comes with his 6-foot-4 frame. His predatory finish from Reece James’ accurate cross set the precedent for the Blues to pile the pressure upon their guests and ultimately crumble Marcelo Bielsa’s masterplan.

Giroud and Kai Havertz were the only outfielders to begin the game in Spain and west London, further validation that personnel changes are not disrupting Chelsea’s rhythm after the Blues netted four without reply against an admittedly weakened version of the Europa League champions. Mateo Kovacic, an unsung hero of the past 12 months, was only amongst the substitutes.

Havertz has yet to hit the heights that followed the sizable sum used to prize him away from Bayer Leverkusen, although, the general feeling around the Chelsea camp is that the German will prevail eventually, if not immediately. Nonetheless, the 21-year-old is a brilliant option with undisputed quality.

An entirely different back four welcomed Edouard Mendy on Saturday from the one that kept a clean sheet in Seville, including Antonio Rudiger and Cesar Azpilicueta, who act as decent understudies to either first-choice centerbacks or fullbacks.

Mendy is perhaps the only exception when the affordance of rest comes into question. He has missed only one match for the Blues this season, the 3-3 debacle induced by Southampton and the reintroduction of Kepa Arrizabalaga between the sticks. Some Chelsea supporters might even be hesitant to return to the Bridge if they saw the Spaniard’s name on the team sheet instead of the Senegalese stopper, a risk Lampard cannot afford to make.

Since the 2-0 defeat to Liverpool in late September, Chelsea has remained unbeaten and can look back at that fixture as a watershed moment in this promising campaign. Out of the newest recruits, only Havertz and Timo Werner were present; Andreas Christensen, Marcos Alonso and Arrizabalaga were situated in defense; Ross Barkley and Fikayo Tomori came off the bench after the interval.

Now, near the top of the division, striding forward in the Champions League and with a fully integrated squad, Chelsea’s fear factor has returned.