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Chelsea vs Chesterfield predicted XI: Another 4-3-3 with injury returnees

By Olaoluwa Nwobodo

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 05: Malang Sarr of Chelsea during the Carabao Cup Semi Final First Leg match between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on January 5, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by James Williamson - AMA/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 05: Malang Sarr of Chelsea during the Carabao Cup Semi Final First Leg match between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on January 5, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by James Williamson - AMA/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 02: Mateo Kovacic of Chelsea celebrates after scoring their side’s first goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on January 02, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 02: Mateo Kovacic of Chelsea celebrates after scoring their side’s first goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on January 02, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /

Mateo Kovacic (No. 8) Central midfielder, Croatia

Mateo Kovacic played 17 minutes against Tottenham and while he didn’t impress, he got some minutes on the pitch that could keep him sharp for the upcoming match. The world saw the real Kovacic against Liverpool while Chelsea fans have been seeing the real Kovacic since the arrival of Tuchel. Control will be everything in this match and Kovacic is Chelsea’s best midfield distributor. Kovacic’s distribution is so good that he leads all Blues players in percentage of accurate long balls per game, and has for the past two seasons. Kovacic would be the freshest of Chelsea’s top three senior central midfielders, so him starting would be more out of a need to rest those who started against Tottenham in midweek.

Lewis Baker (No. 32) Central midfielder, England

Lewis Baker played against Bournemouth in a preseason friendly and never made another appearance, despite playing well in that game, or seeming to anyways. The 26-year-old academy player may get another chance to appear for the senior team and could even use the opportunity to show Tuchel that he should be given a bigger role with the senior team. It would be hard to do though, as it’s very difficult to dislodge any of the starting central midfielders. Baker should be able to do the job for Chelsea in this game though.

Ross Barkley (No. 18) Central attacking midfielder, England

Ross Barkley did not do all that well against Zenit in Chelsea’s 3-3 draw mainly because he kept straying to the attacking midfield area. Therefore, he found himself occupy the wrong midfield spot. This time, he will actually need to occupy that attacking midfield area. Barkley’s performances have been generally good, but he has not really had that many appearances, so whenever he plays, he’s expected to “give the boss a selection headache” and “make a case to start subsequent games.” But that’s not real life. Players build up consistency before they hit top form. Expecting a player to churn out the performance of a player in top form, while bringing him in from a long time on the sidelines is unrealistic.

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