Predicted Chelsea XI vs Newcastle: 3-4-3 again after Man City performance

Mateo Kovacic (No. 8) Central midfielder, Croatia

Kovacic was the Blues captain on the night. He was OK without being great.

Jorginho (No. 5) Central midfielder, Italy

Potter tried to fight the temptation of bringing on Jorginho at some point, by leaving him out of the squad entirely. This is key as Jorginho needs to start most of if not all of the west London side’s remaining Premier League fixtures, which means he should be rested wherever remotely possible.

Christian Pulisic (No. 10) Left attacking midfielder, United States

Pulisic was very good against Man City. He created three chances, including a clear-cut chance. He also missed a big chance himself. He offered a lot more than Raheem Sterling though, who came on and did nothing of note.

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

People almost seemed surprised that Ziyech had a great performance. He created two clear-cut chances for Pulisic and Lewis Hall, who both missed. He also had a hand in the clear-cut chance that he didn’t directly create, carrying the ball upfield and releasing Pulisic with a pass at the right time. He won 3/5 duels, two tackles and was CFC‘s most dangerous player on the day.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (No. 9) Center forward, Gabon

Aubameyang didn’t come on against the Citizens, a decision that was probably intentional. He’s really the only actual striker at the club and Armando Broja didn’t do anything to suggest he should start over Aubameyang against Newcastle.