Chelsea predicted XI vs. Man City: Will the 4-3-3 bring back winning ways?

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Manchester City’s Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne (L) vies with Chelsea’s English midfielder Mason Mount during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Stamford Bridge in London on June 25, 2020. (Photo by PAUL CHILDS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /

N’Golo Kante (No. 7) Defensive midfielder, France

We’re running out of things to write about N’Golo Kante. He keeps showing why he has the reputation that he does and why he’s so important to this team. His work rate and intelligence keeps the Blues afloat in certain games. Chelsea is not ready to sell Kante yet, not even a little bit. He’s the best midfielder at the club and it would be an impossible task to replace him. It’s not a coincidence that trophies have followed the little Frenchman everywhere he’s gone. Kante’s given his fellow midfielders the freedom to roam and perform their “dual eight” duties.

Mateo Kovacic (No. 17) Central midfielder, Croatia

Mateo Kovacic’s case is a bit confusing, if not worrisome. He has played well a lot when he’s been included, but he seems to be benched a little more than usual this year. It seems like there’s something about Kovacic that makes Lampard hesitate to start him as much as he should. Things like this are difficult to decipher from the outside, and you can only trust Lampard, but it’s baffling to see the talented Croatian play well and then start the next game on the bench. That said, Kovacic is Chelsea best ball carrier. He’s press resistant and he often gives the Blues an advantage in midfield with the way he speeds past players to break pressing lines. If utilized correctly, he could become Chelsea’s most important midfielder behind Kante, but who knows?

Mason Mount (No. 19) Central midfielder, England

Many fans still think it’s cool to abuse and slander Mason Mount because they can. Mount has been one of Chelsea’s most consistent players this season, he has created six big chances, and no, those big chances didn’t come from corners. Mount has been Chelsea’s go-to man for creating chances in the absence of Hakim Ziyech. Watching Mount shows you that pressing is not all that Mount does, it is then surprising that people who claim to watch Chelsea don’t see all the things the England international does. Two managers (Lampard and Gareth Southgate) have kept giving Mount starts, but some people still think it’s because of favoritism, whenever Mount is fit he will start—and rightly so.

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