Chelsea at Charlotte FC predicted XI: Does Colwill start in 3-4-3?

Chelsea won its first preseason game of the 2022/23 campaign from Las Vegas with a 2-1 victory over Mexico’s Club America. Of course, that was not the most important thing, as the Blues were able to gain match fitness with 22 players. Some individuals did not get a look in against Club America, and some won’t get a look in against Charlotte FC either, as some of the players have been sent to train with the under 23s. Billy Gilmour and Harvey Vale are two of the players that have been sent to the U23s—many fans are not happy about it, if you can believe it.

Levi Colwill, though, is still with the senior squad, and that means Thomas Tuchel is probably considering giving him a look very soon in a match situation. The players that started the Club America game looked as rusty and mentally slow, as they were supposed to. There were tweets and takes about the performance in that game and some called for players to be sold during and after the game. Where there are Chelsea fans, there will always be overreactions, so there’s nothing new there. Regardless, these players will continue to get looks in during preseason.

Here’s who The Pride of London think Tuchel gives the starting nod to in this game:

Edouard Mendy (No. 16) Goalkeeper, Senegal

Edouard Mendy did not make an appearance against Club America, which perhaps should be an indication that who plays in this period means next to nothing. Kepa Arrizabalaga did start though and did not concede a goal. Marcus Bettinelli came in for Arrizabalaga in the second half, and conceded a goal from a back pass from Reece James that he (Bettinelli) reacted very slowly to. Mendy is a key player going into the new season and Tuchel will want him to be as fit as possible as he’ll likely play most league and cup games if the second half of last season is any indication.

Trevoh Chalobah (No. 14) Right centerback, England

Trevoh Chalobah looked his usual sharp self against Club America. He is definitely more ready than some of his colleagues for the new season. He’s likely to be Chelsea’s main right centerback for the 2022/23 season—barring any further additions—so Tuchel will want him to acclimatize himself to that position and role. Chalobah still has to work on his awareness, as last season many players kept running off his shoulder.

The former Lorient player also needs to work on his aerial duels, as he’s not just six-foot-three (1.9 meters), he’s also currently the Blues’ joint-tallest outfielder. He’s as tall as Ruben Loftus-Cheek and taller than both Kai Havertz and Kalidou Koulibaly. Chelsea has still not gotten back the set piece threat it lost in Kurt Zouma, and Chalobah has the physical make-up to replace that threat; his aerial play needs a lot of work though.

Kalidou Koulibaly (No. 26) Centerback, Senegal

Kalidou Koulibaly is likely to get a game against Charlotte, especially considering he’s a key player for the Blues now that he’s officially the team’s latest addition. There’s also the matter of integrating him into a back three, as the roles of each centerback, while easier, is slightly different. Koulibaly will likely play at the center of the back three, as that’s the role that most resembles what he’s used to at Napoli

Levi Colwill (N/A) Left centerback, England

A lot has been said about the Levi Colwill situation, but not much has been said about Colwill himself and what would actually be best for him. Callum Hudson-Odoi is an example of a player who did not go out on loan and did not really get enough minutes to justify keeping him around. Colwill is still 19 years old, and as things stand, the Blues have only four senior centerbacks registered on their roster. They used five centerbacks last season, so Chelsea definitely wants to keep him around at this moment in time.

However, Colwill can already guess that he will not get a look in unless something happens to his teammates. That thing may never happen, and unless the centerbacks above him perform so poorly that Tuchel is forced to look for solutions before another window opens, Colwill is not likely to get enough minutes to continue his development. The Englishman needs to play at a club where he is trusted for the majority of the season. Centerbacks don’t hit their peak until they’re in their mid-or-late twenties, but that’s only if they’re getting regular game time before then.