As Chelsea loses Marc Guehi to Crystal Palace and faces the notion of losing Tino Livramento, many are shrugging their shoulders. It’s understandable. The players, for all their potential and promise, haven’t shown any of that at the Premier League level. Of course, neither had Mason Mount or Reece James and, because they were given a chance, they showed they could perform at that level.
On a similar note, the Blues are looking around at potential signings but many take issue with that as well. Many don’t see the point of getting Declan Rice because you “don’t spend that much for depth”. Should Erling Haaland join (or anyone at this point), many see it as the end for Tammy Abraham which is likely truer for other reasons.
Overall, it seems as though if a player isn’t walking into the starting XI, they aren’t worth it. Which is an exceptionally weird idea. Yes, only 11 players can be fielded at any one time. But then there are subs. And you know what? Then you have midweek games and you’ll want to rotate. And, with a Club World Cup this year on top of everything else (including being a post Euros/Copa America year), the idea that the team doesn’t high quality depth is a bit silly.
Let’s say, at the bare minimum, Chelsea needs an 18 day match squad to count on. What does the bench look like? It’s hard to answer without knowing if Thomas Tuchel sticks with three at the back, but let’s assume he does. The bench would, ideally, have a centerback, a player that can play wingback on both sides, a pivot player, and then the forwards.
That seems easy enough for Chelsea to fill out. We’ll go with a bench of Kepa Arrizabalaga, Andreas Christensen, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Marcos Alonso, Mateo Kovacic, Christian Pulisic, and Tammy Abraham for this example. That leaves some big names out of the squad altogether. Kurt Zouma and Hakim Ziyech miss out. That’s without signings, so throw in a Declan Rice as well. That’s three big players missing out entirely with another four also missing out in the 25 man roster.
And that’s great. The last thing Chelsea should want to be doing is playing the same XI three times a week. Not only is that a bad idea fitness wise, but it’s easier to plan against. Chelsea finally has good depth but the idea of adding to it seems a step too far for many.
If Rice were to sign, he would be one of four center mids. Would he “start” over Jorginho or N’Golo Kante? Not if all else was the same but it rarely will be. Would it not be a better situation for the club to be able to rotate Rice in than to run those two into the ground?
And on the “you don’t spend that much for depth” argument, well, that’s already passed. Just look at who could play on attack. Chelsea is almost always going to bench 50 million plus worth of talent and will likely sit another 50 million plus out of the squad altogether. That’s before signing a new striker (if it happens). Squad management becomes a juggling act, but that’s absolutely okay.
If the club wants to compete on even footing for the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, Club World Cup, and Super Cup, then they need a big squad where almost every player could start against anyone. The idea of signing a player that can only go into the starting XI is one that weakens Chelsea. Rivals at home and abroad like Manchester City, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich have no issue finding excellent players to fill out the bench and miss out entirely. So, why should Chelsea?