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Chelsea predicted XI vs Everton: 3-4-2-1 is the way forward

By Olaoluwa Nwobodo

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 04: Thomas Tuchel, Manager of Chelsea embraces Mason Mount of Chelsea following the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on February 04, 2021 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 Clive Rose/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 04: Thomas Tuchel, Manager of Chelsea embraces Mason Mount of Chelsea following the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on February 04, 2021 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 Clive Rose/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 28: Andreas Christensen of Chelsea in action during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on December 28, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 28: Andreas Christensen of Chelsea in action during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on December 28, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) /

Thomas Tuchel has finally won the trust of the majority of the fanbase by leading Chelsea to their first win over Liverpool in the last six attempts. He won the tactical battle against Jurgen Klopp. Chelsea welcome Everton to Stamford Bridge after losing the reverse fixture and Tuchel will want to make sure that parity is restored. Everton has been historically difficult for Chelsea to deal with, but with Chelsea are in better position defensively than they were in December, fans should be confident as Tuchel matches up against Carlo Ancelotti. Chelsea’s 3-4-2-1 is working well enough to keep using it against Everton, but who makes the XI as the Blues look to continue their fine form?

Edouard Mendy (No. 16) Goalkeeper, Senegal

Mendy has only conceded two goals under Tuchel, and none of those goals have come against Atletico Madrid, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool or Manchester United. Two goals that he holds no blame for. Other than that, he has also kept five clean sheets in seven games for Tuchel, ramping up his league clean sheet count to 11, putting him third in the rankings. Mendy has not been flawless, but he has been more than solid and he has performed his duties well when called upon. Mendy has started all league games except one since the new manager arrived and Tuchel has made it clear that this will be the case for the foreseeable future.

Cesar Azpilicueta (No. 28) Right centerback, Spain

The captain has done himself justice under the new manager. Tuchel deserves some credit though, as he found a way to include Azpilicueta and Reece James in the same lineup. This means that Chelsea would not be without the captain’s leadership in games, while also being able to utilize the attacking brilliance of James. It’s no surprise that the captain has excelled in his more recent role as he played all available minutes en-route to a title winning 2016/17 league season. Many are calling for James to play in the right centerback role, but James simply doesn’t have the defensive awareness or ability to play as a right centerback.

Andreas Christensen (No. 4) Centerback, Denmark

Christensen was all but written off as a professional centerback under Lampard, placed fourth in a two-centerback pecking order, and depending on who you ask, would have been placed fifth with the inclusion of Fikayo Tomori in that pecking order. It is quite revealing how different a player can look in a system that favors them. Many refused to apply any context to their criticism of the Dane and his performances and therefore seem shocked that their shallow evaluation of the player hasn’t proved true now that the player is playing in the right conditions.

Antonio Rudiger (No. 2) Centerback, Germany

Say what you want about Rudiger, but he has played well so far, and no one can really argue with his inclusion in the lineup. Tuchel has made sure that he has maximized the strengths of his players and mitigated their individual and collective weaknesses. Rudiger’s distribution has been really good lately and long may it last. For a plethora of reasons many don’t want to see Rudiger in the line-up, but they cannot argue that he has played well, except for that own goal against Sheffield United, and even in that game he was the best centerback on the day.

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