Chelsea vs. Arsenal combined XI: The lone Arsenal player in a 3-4-3

Right Wingback, Reece James, Chelsea

Reece James is another Chelsea player who has lacked playing time recently, serving as second choice to Kyle Walker at the Euros before coming off the bench for about 20 minutes of action against Palace. His relentless motor should be fully charged, though, which will be crucial against the pace of Arsenal’s left-sided duo, Bukayo Saka and Kieran Tierney.

While James’ lung-busting runs up the right flank are a hallmark of his game, he will have to be more reserved against this Gunners side that breaks quickly on the counter. Positional awareness is one of his weakest attributes as well, so whoever is deployed at right centerback will need to be on alert whenever James joins the attack. Tuchel will want the young Englishman to get forward whenever possible, though, as his pinpoint accurate crosses will be extremely dangerous with Lukaku lurking in the box.

Central Midfielder, N’Golo Kante, Chelsea

If I managed a squad that included N’Golo Kante, he would be the first name on my team sheet every single week. There is simply no other player in the world who can do what the diminutive Frenchman does in terms of effort and ability, which is why he was named a finalist for the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award on Thursday.

Kante should be fully rested for Sunday’s derby after sitting out the match against Palace with an ankle issue sustained during the UEFA Super Cup. This will be a problem for Arsenal, whose best midfielder, Thomas Partey, is still unfit with an ankle problem of his own. This leaves Granit Xhaka and new signing Albert Sambi Lokonga to deal with the top central midfielder in the world. Advantage Chelsea.

Central Midfielder, Jorginho, Chelsea

It would have been harsh to leave Jorginho out of this combined XI after he was also named a finalist for UEFA Men’s Player of the Year, but this was undoubtedly one of my most difficult decisions. Both he and Mateo Kovacic are more than worthy following the duo’s dominant display against the Eagles, and Chelsea’s new no. 8 certainly looks primed for a fantastic season.

In the end, though, Jorginho is having the best year of any central midfielder in recent memory. Some might point to Luka Modric’s 2018 campaign as comparable, but the Brazilian-born Italian international already has more silverware. Jorginho’s penalty-taking ability has also been widely publicized, as his composed shooting style can make any goalkeeper look foolish. In my opinion, he would have already locked up the Ballon d’Or had he converted the final spot kick against England in the Euro 2020 final, but he still has a chance to grab the top individual prize if Chelsea get off to a strong start.

Left Wingback, Kieran Tierney, Arsenal

It would have been disrespectful to omit Arsenal entirely from this combined XI, so here is my olive branch to all the Gunners who made it this far through the article. I have been a huge fan of Kieran Tierney’s since he joined Arsenal from Celtic back in 2019 and genuinely believe he is one of the top one-on-one defenders in the Premier League.

The lack of talent around him is problematic, though, and the Gunners’ rotating door at centerback over the past few seasons has prevented the Scottish international from reaching his full potential. A move away from the Emirates would likely do wonders for his career, especially if he were to join a team with a top-level manager. Tierney is simply too good to be wasting the prime of his career at a mid-table side like Arsenal.