The Pride of London
Fansided

How will Chelsea line up with Romelu Lukaku, 3-4-3 or 3-5-2?

By Gabe Henderson

JAKARTA, INDONESIA - JULY 25: Romelu Lukaku of Chelsea celebrates scoring a goal during the match between Chelsea and Indonesia All-Stars at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on July 25, 2013 in Jakarta, Indonesia. (Photo by Stanley Chou/Getty Images)
JAKARTA, INDONESIA - JULY 25: Romelu Lukaku of Chelsea celebrates scoring a goal during the match between Chelsea and Indonesia All-Stars at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on July 25, 2013 in Jakarta, Indonesia. (Photo by Stanley Chou/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
Chelsea’s German striker Timo Werner (R) celebrates scoring his team’s fourth goal with Chelsea’s English striker Tammy Abraham (L) during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Sheffield United at Stamford Bridge in London on November 7, 2020. (Photo by MIKE HEWITT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Chelsea’s German striker Timo Werner (R) celebrates scoring his team’s fourth goal with Chelsea’s English striker Tammy Abraham (L) during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Sheffield United at Stamford Bridge in London on November 7, 2020. (Photo by MIKE HEWITT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /

2. The Tried and Tested (3-5-2)

Whereas the 4-2-2-2 is a long shot, the 3-5-2 is a more realistic solution to the Blues’ depth “issues.” The fact of the matter is, Tuchel is going to struggle to fit all of his best players into the starting XI on any given day. The preseason has shown us that the German is willing to be flexible with his side’s shape, but he doesn’t want to deviate from a back three just yet. The 3-5-2 was tested scarcely with Armando Broja and Ike Ugbo this preseason, so it represents a viable option and one Tuchel is considering.

The most important part of this set-up is that the Blues’ three at the back would remain. This means the key to their Champions League triumph stays in place and the attack gets to experiment. It’s assumed Antonio Rudiger, Thiago Silva/Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta/Jules Kounde (should he sign) would occupy those defensive positions. Tuchel would also remain happy as his wingbacks could persist, giving him a lot of flexibility as it relates to personnel. This preseason has shown that the UCL-winning manager loves to experiment with wide players in those spots, as Hudson-Odoi and Pulisic once again played more defensive roles.

The midfield is where things get a bit foggy. The wingbacks obviously occupy two of the midfield slots, so Tuchel would be left with three other places in the middle of the park. He has two options here: a lone defensive midfielder and dual eights OR a midfield pivot and a sole No. 8/10.

It’s assumed that Tuchel would love to keep the pivot in tact and if this is the case, one of Chelsea’s best young players would be relegated to a substitute role. He would be forced to choose between Mount and Havertz, assuming the latter doesn’t play a more advanced position. This is perhaps the only downside to the Lukaku transfer, Tuchel is now tasked with fitting four incredible attackers onto the pitch at one time. For this reason, a lone defensive midfielder is probably the best way forward. It goes without saying that man is Kante.

All of this would allow for a striking partnership up top. As in the 4-2-2-2, those partners would be Lukaku and Werner. Both of these forwards have played their best football with another individual up top to take some of the heat off themselves. Lukaku had Lautaro Martinez at Inter and Werner had Yussuf Poulsen at RB Leipzig. The German forward struggled to cope with the strength and speed of Premier League centerbacks last season, so Lukaku’s arrival will probably be the best thing for him.

This formation is everything Tuchel could want in a team. He’s able to keep his trusted back three, bring on wingbacks to charge forward, possibly get all of his attacking options on the pitch at once and form a striking partnership up top.

Home/Chelsea FC News