Chelsea vs Watford predicted XI: 4-3-1-2 on Premiership Sunday?
Chelsea has secured third place after drawing Leicester City on Matchday 37. A draw was definitely not the result that the Blues wanted, but it was still enough to help them achieve their objectives this season. It would be difficult to judge Chelsea’s league performance this season because at some point, it was top of the league for 10 weeks. Results started going sideways when the Blues lost Mateo Kovacic, Ben Chilwell and Reece James to injury during the tough winter period. These injuries occurred all in the space of two matchdays, as well, which did not help matters. It quickly became clear that Chelsea was going to finish behind Liverpool and Manchester City, and it’s ensured that it fell no lower than third.
The Blues will want to finish the season on a positive note though, as they failed to do last season. Some new faces will be expected to feature in this game, but probably as substitutes given this will be a sendoff for some important figures. Therefore, who does Thomas Tuchel select to finish the season with a win against Watford?
Edouard Mendy (No. 16) Goalkeeper, Senegal
Edouard Mendy could still get 15 clean sheets this season, and while it’s less than he should be getting, it’s still a good number of Premier League clean sheets to keep. He allowed the only shot on target he faced against Leicester City to find the back of the net, and it was a long shot. If anything, this shows how stupid the “Mendy would have saved that” comments are whenever Kepa Arrizabalaga concedes a long shot. Interestingly, Arrizabalaga was in goal in the FA Cup final last season against the Foxes where Youri Tielemans let a shot rip from long range and scored. This time, it was James Maddison, but with Mendy in goal—same result. The point here is that it’s unfair to blame Arrizabalaga for conceding long shots because taller keepers concede them just as much. Being a taller keeper helps in saving shots to higher areas in the goal, but it’s not a guarantee, it’s just an advantage that no one should be antagonized about.
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Reece James (No. 24) Right back, England
Reece James has been one of Chelsea’s most important players this season, as Tuchel has acknowledged. He has accumulated 12 goal contributions this season in the league, which is very impressive, especially for a wingback.
Thiago Silva (No. 6) Centerback, Brazil
Thiago Silva may be rested in this game, but it’s more than likely that he starts as his passing is essential to how Chelsea plays. He will definitely be here for another year at least, which is more than can be said about some of the other players in the team. Silva’s leadership and experience will be invaluable to this Blues team in both the present and the future.
Antonio Rudiger (No. 2) Centerback, Germany
This will be Antonio Rudiger’s last game for Chelsea Football Club if he plays. He has given an interview that you can read about in The Players’ Tribune. There, he talks about how the club delayed talks and put him in a situation to make a decision. This doesn’t match what many fans have been told. The impression given to fans is that Chelsea offered him a deal, but not one that the German wanted. That is markedly different from the club not offering him anything at all for months. Rudiger was a superb servant for the club and he deserves to go where he wants. Fans must wish him the best of luck at Real Madrid going forward.
Marcos Alonso (No. 3) Left back, Spain
Marcos Alonso has been very good this season as a whole. He has stepped in for Chilwell and has helped the Blues achieve third place. The Spaniard has not performed worse than Chilwell though, and it’s convenient to make the case that Chelsea would be higher up the table if Chilwell had been playing. But the fact is that Chilwell is not available and Alonso has delivered to the best of his ability. Another goal against Leicester meant Alonso is now up to eight goals and assists this season—not bad for a defender.