How Chelsea can line-up in a 3-4-3 for the 2022/23 campaign

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ORLANDO, FLORIDA – JULY 23: Reece James of Chelsea tackles Granit Xhaka of Arsenal during the Florida Cup match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Camping World Stadium on July 23, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

Reece James (No. 24) Right wingback, England

Reece James is Chelsea’s best option in the right wingback position, so there’s no confusion as to who starts the season there. There’s nothing else to be said here, this one’s a no-brainer really.

Jorginho (No. 5) Central midfielder, Italy

Jorginho has been Chelsea’s most important player this preseason. In the first half of the preseason game against Arsenal, he made more than three key tackles. Many Chelsea fans have claimed that the Blues are not playing a 4-3-3 because Jorginho would not be well protected in this formation. This is has led them to direct their ire at the Italian midfielder. In reality, Jorginho is not the one that’d need protection if the side decide to play a 4-3-3.

Against the Gunners, Jorginho was flanked by Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher. Both midfielders looked lost and out of their depth and found themselves needing Jorginho to bail them out several times, which he did. The reality is that Chelsea can upgrade in a lot of positions, but it still has players they can challenge for the Premier League title with, and Jorginho is one of those players.

N’Golo Kante (No. 7) Central midfielder, France

Who starts in the second central midfield role is anyone’s guess, but it’s between the Frenchman and Mateo Kovacic. It would depend on the kind of opponent the Blues come up against on the day. It is a known fact that Tuchel likes Kante very much, which stands to reason that we can expect the 31-year-old to play whenever he’s fully fit. Chelsea will have five substitutes available to it this season, so the Blues should be able to divide the central midfield minutes between Kante and Kovacic to make all parties happy with their game time.

Marc Cucurella (N/A) Left wingback, Spain

Marc Cucurella popped up in the rumor mill just days ago. However, it seems Chelsea is taking more than just a passing interest in the talented Brighton & Hove Albion left back. A very good tackler of the ball, Cucurella could find himself getting a bulk of the minutes at left wingback, especially if Marcos Alonso leaves. Ben Chilwell has not looked very sharp since he returned from injury, not that he was expected to. Alonso has been linked with FC Barcelona for several months, as well, so Cucurella could find himself readier to feature for Chelsea than Chilwell.

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