Reece James (No. 24) Right Wingback, England
Reece James is one of the most vicious crossers in the league. However, due to the lack of a proper center forward in the starting lineup, James hasn’t fully exploited this skill. With record signing, Romelu Lukaku, leading the line now, James needs to start as many games as a wingback in order to feed Lukaku going forward and create a plethora of chances. Expect James to register at least one assist against Arsenal.
Jorginho (No. 5) Central Midfielder, Italy
Jorginho has been monumental over the past few months for the club and country. As the Blues lifted the Champions League trophy, he was one of Chelsea’s most efficient and crucial players. Jorginho did well against Palace as he made some vital interceptions and ensured that the Blues didn’t let Palace transition easily. While Kante was seen in training recently, it would be better to play it safe and allow Jorginho to anchor the midfield against Arsenal.
Mateo Kovacic (No. 8) Central Midfielder, Croatia
Mateo Kovacic played well against Crystal Palace. His passes were accurate and effective, and he was quick in transition as well. The midfield pivot positions lack depth at the moment unless one of Ruben Loftus-Cheek or Ethan Ampadu provides back-up as suggested recently. Kovacic will have to take more responsibility in the absence of N’Golo Kante. Expect a solid performance from the Croatian as Chelsea will look to dominate Arsenal’s midfield early in the game.
Marcos Alonso (No. 3) Left Wingback, Spain
Marcos Alonso has a habit of starting the season off with splendid performances, doesn’t he? Against Palace, Alonso was a handful and scored a magnificent freekick early on in the game. He kept bombarding forward and was always involved from the left. Tuchel should allow Alonso to carry the momentum into the next game and start him. Ben Chilwell could come off the bench after the hour mark to gain some minutes and eventually work his way into the side.