Chelsea predicted XI vs. Krasnodar: Lampard rotates for matchday six
Chelsea has nothing to play for in Group E’s matchday six, but who will Frank Lampard send out for the game against Krasnodar?
Chelsea goes into its match with Krasnodar with literally nothing at stake as nothing can change for the Blues, no matter what happens. That said, winning is a culture and the Blues cannot afford to relax just because they have won the group. This match poses an opportunity for certain fringe players to push for a starting spot. Olivier Giroud seized his opportunity last week against Sevilla. It is tough to match his excellence, but that is exactly the kind of performance required to get into this starting line-up. Not saying that every attacker needs to score four goals in a match to get a look in, but they have to put in performances that cannot be ignored by the manager.
Frank Lampard does not need his strongest team, so who gets the nod ahead of the dead rubber match against Champions League debutants?
Kepa Arrizabalaga (No. 1) Goalkeeper, Spain
This shouldn’t be a surprise as it already clear who Chelsea’s first choice goalkeeper is. It is true that the Spaniard has had some unsatisfactory performances in recent times, but he still has to be given opportunities in order to redeem himself and build his confidence. This is a perfect game for that. Kepa Arrizabalaga has seen that the centerbacks he played with last season can keep clean sheets now, so he knows it can be done. Arrizabalaga has had a rough three years at Chelsea, he needs things to start going his way and one of those things is clean sheets.
Cesar Azpilicueta (No. 28) Right back, Spain
The captain put on a good performance against Sevilla last week, doing his part in a 4-0 win. He has fallen behind Reece James in the pecking order, but that’s OK, because even the club captain himself knew that the day will come when he hands over primary right back duties to the youngster. This should not blind people to Cesar Azpilicueta’s defensive, offensive and leadership qualities. Remember that he was introduced into the West Brom game at halftime and he instantly transformed the defensive structure en route to a 3-3 draw, coming back from 3-0 down. Azpilicueta is still very much the intelligent, tenacious, defensive fullback who also contributes offensively.
Andreas Christensen (No. 4) Centerback, Denmark
Andreas Christensen painted himself in good light against Sevilla. No one knows what would become of the Danish centerback, but he has a decision to make whether he wants to stay and fight for a spot, or move to a club where he’s assured of way more minutes. He’s obviously a good centerback, he’s had a rough one-year, coming under scrutiny for a defense that conceded 54 league goals last season. It’s not unfair to question the centerbacks representing the club when the team is conceding so many goals, but the centerbacks aren’t always the problem. He will not have Edouard Mendy in goal tomorrow, and it would be interesting to see how he gets on.
Antonio Rudiger (No. 2) Centerback, Germany
Antonio Rudiger partnered Christensen for the Sevilla demolition. Rudiger would be the perfect partner for Christensen in this one, as well. Though they both have similar passing ability, Rudiger can be the more aggressive of the two, and Christensen the calm sweeper. Chelsea is under no pressure in this game, this could be good or bad for the players. Depending on how this game goes, it would be clear to see where some of these players are mentally. Rudiger was rumored to be on his way out at the beginning of the season, and with the Euros coming, he might well be.
Emerson (No. 33) Left back, Italy
Emerson played well in the Sevilla game. He has had a shaky last year and it got clear that neither he nor Marcos Alonso would be sufficient for Chelsea’s left back needs. Ben Chilwell has been the stand-out left back and there’s no doubt he was an upgrade. Emerson has improved in his performances though and while he still shouldn’t be starting, he has earned some minutes of his own.