It’s official, Romelu Lukaku is on his way back to Chelsea. 10 years (almost to the day) after the Blues bought the Belgian from Anderlecht, he’s making his return to the club he never stopped loving. Lukaku is coming off one of the best seasons of his career. He led Inter Milan to a Serie A title and was a key cog in Antonio Conte’s side. He now joins Thomas Tuchel’s Champions of Europe and will look to be the front man that Chelsea has been missing since Diego Costa’s departure after Conte’s Premier League winning season with the Blues.
There has been a lot of talk recently about the fact both Conte and Tuchel line up in a 3-4-3, albeit vastly different approaches. Conte built up from the back whereas the current Chelsea boss emphasizes winning the ball back as soon as its lost and playing with possession. Regardless, Lukaku’s return will not limit the Blues to a 3-4-3. Chelsea can now play in more formations with a true No. 9 than it could last season. We may finally see Tuchel’s famous tactical flexibility.
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How could the Blues set up this season with Lukaku back at Stamford Bridge?
1. The Long Shot (4-2-2-2)
The most unusual of all of Tuchel’s choices is the 4-2-2. This is a formation Chelsea is capable of playing with its current personnel, we saw it when Frank Lampard tested it out at the beginning of last season. This is perhaps the only way the gaffer will get all of his important attacking pieces onto the pitch at once, which is important to note because it also destabilizes the back line. Luckily, Ben Chilwell and Reece James are not wingbacks by trade and they’re both more than comfortable playing as natural fullbacks.
The 4-2-2-2 would see the midfield pivot remain, regardless of personnel. Tuchel has three midfielders to choose from in N’Golo Kante, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic; one would suspect the former two would sit in front of the back line in this case. Kante and Jorginho were excellent during the Blues’ Champions League run last season and one shouldn’t dare to break that chemistry.
In front of the double sixes in the middle of the park would be Mason Mount and Kai Havertz acting as dual No. 8s. These two wunderkinds have forced their way into every starting XI with their mature play, despite being just 22. Mount and Havertz have built an understanding with one another that is now forged in history after the former assisted Havertz’s UCL clinching goal in Porto. They are more than capable of playing all over the pitch, but the middle of the three lines of two would be their home in this formation. That said, depending on the duo in front of them, Havertz could also slot in up top and utilize his ability to get into space.
That brings us to the front line. Of course, Lukaku has to feature as the new centerpiece of Chelsea’s attacking plans. His time at Inter shows us that he thrives when having a striking partner alongside him to play one-two passes with at all times. In this case, Timo Werner would take on that role. The presence of a natural No. 9 could help take the pressure off the German.
The downside to this formation is the Blues are lined up incredibly narrow. Chilwell and James are forced to sit along the back line—although they’d undoubtedly come up in possession—and there are no wingers in the XI. This means the likes of Christian Pulisic, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Hakim Ziyech are relegated to the bench. However, that risk may be worth the reward of Tuchel being able to get Mount, Havertz, Werner and Lukaku onto the pitch at the same time.