Chelsea vs Malmo predicted XI: First 3-4-1-2 of many?

Reece James (No. 24) Right wingback, England

Reece James was just returning from injury against Brentford, so he started from the bench. He needs minutes to get back to full fitness and Malmo provides the perfect match for that. James started the season well and it will benefit Chelsea if he continues the form he was on before he got injured. James also has very good link-up with Romelu Lukaku, assisting him against Arsenal and providing intelligent overlapping runs to get into good crossing positions. Due to the nature of the formation Chelsea plays, a lot of creative responsibility is placed on the wingbacks and James is more than capable of providing his fair share.

Mateo Kovacic (No. 8) Central midfielder, Croatia

Mateo Kovacic was taken off in the 65′ against Brentford and it would not be ridiculous to assume that it was with the Malmo match in mind. Ruben Loftus-Cheek is the closest thing to Kovacic in terms of skillset. The double No. 6s are an essential part of Tuchel’s formation and the absence of it led to a collapse in the Blues’ midfield against their west London rivals. Kovacic’s passing, dribbling and pressing are three things that they cannot do without. The fact that he offers all three also makes him that much more valuable to the team. Kovacic leads the Chelsea with three assists in the Premier League so far. He also leads the team in progressive passes per 90 and ranking second for passes into the final third per 90, according to fbref, indicating his importance to the team in the final third.

Hakim Ziyech (No. 22) Central attacking midfielder, Morocco

Ah yes, Hakim Ziyech. Ziyech has not being the same since his shoulder injury against Villarreal in the Super Cup where he scored and created four chances, including one big chance. Ziyech has come down under heavy criticism—some unfair—concerning Chelsea’s chance creation issues. It’s only natural that the team blame the Blues’ lack of quality chance creation on the Moroccan as he’s an easy target. However, further scrutiny would show that Ziyech is far from the problem and is in fact closer to the solution.

This 3-4-1-2 formation enables Ziyech to have a free role behind two center forwards, with him moving where necessary to receive the ball and create very good passing angles. The position Ziyech played at Ajax is not as important as the role he plays now, hence why he often produced the goods regardless of whether he played central midfield, central attacking midfield, right winger or left winger. He has even played at the base of a midfield three, as well, such is the level of trust Erik Ten Hag had in the Moroccan. Ziyech leads Chelsea’s midfielders and forwards in key passes per 90, the only other players with more are wingbacks, that in and of itself is telling. He faces a great test if he starts against Malmo.

Jorginho (No. 5) Central midfielder, Italy

Jorginho was rested against Brentford and this rest gave another well-deserved opportunity to Loftus-Cheek to start another Premier League game. Jorginho, like Marcos Alonso, has played a lot of matches this season. Tuchel decided to rest him before the effect started showing in his performances. Some fans are convinced Jorginho was missed against Brentford—and perhaps he was—however, the Blues have such a big squad that they should be able to rest a key central midfielder without needing to bring him on against a newly promoted side. His nomination for the Ballon d’Or has got the football world talking, or enraged, in some cases. It’s nice to see a Chelsea player being recognized for their hard work and performances.

Marcos Alonso (No. 3) Left wingback, Spain

Alonso played in the semifinal and final of the UEFA Nations League against Belgium and France. He was magnificent in those two fixtures. He also played the full 180 minutes in those games as a fullback. Playing as a fullback meant that he had a great deal to do physically and that may explain his absence against Brentford. Alonso has been brilliant for Chelsea this season, leading the Blues in chances created per game (2). Alonso’s corners were particularly dangerous against Tottenham. His bad performances have been overblown, as usual, but while he did have a stinker against Juventus, players have bad performances all the time. He has played a lot of football for Chelsea this season and the fatigue resulting from that was reflecting in some of his performances.