Chelsea at Dortmund: 3 players that must start for the Blues

This is the moment where the results have to change. For the first time since November, the Blues are back in the Champions League. Having topped the group following an impressive run of fixtures following its loss to GNK Dinamo Zagreb, CFC has the opportunity to rewrite some of its wrongs in other competitions with a successful Champions League run. Despite the recent form, there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that this team can compete for a trip to Istanbul, Turkey at the beginning of June.

Momentum is critical if the Blues want to find a way back into the European places for next season, and without the FA Cup or League Cup, this is a chance to create some sort of confidence heading into the Premier League. With the talent that is present in the team since the January transfer window, there are limited excuses after weeks of these new players training together.

Edin Terzic and Borussia Dortmund have not dropped a single point in the German top-flight since the middle of November against Borussia Monchengladbach. Equipped with talents like 26-year-old German Julian Brandt, youngster Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, and Jude Bellingham among others, Dortmund is one of the hottest teams in all of European football at the moment. Some may feel that the only way for Graham Potter’s side to clinch a spot in European football for next season is to win the Champions League. That quest begins now.

With all of the acquisitions, and the money spent over the last few weeks, selection has been a big talking point for CFC. May have stood out, and a few have fallen out of form. With a critical match in Germany on tap, here are three players that Potter has to start against the team sitting third in the Bundesliga table.

3 Chelsea players who must start against Dortmund

Enzo Fernandez

The World Cup winner’s transition to the Premier League has been almost seamless. The  Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez has been the definition of consistency since he took over the Blues’ midfield against Fulham to kick off Chelsea’s fixtures in February.

Fernandez has led the Blues in tackles plus interceptions in back-to-back games while utilizing his vision going forward to make things happen. The former Benfica star has collected 18 passes into the final third, and 17 progressive passes already in 180 minutes on the pitch for the Blues.

His awareness to see Joao Felix making the run, and execution to find him to open up the scoring at the London Stadium was sublime. The price tag may seem a little overwhelming to some, but the 22-year-old midfielder has the world-class quality to change a team’s midfield completely.

The touch map from the West Ham clash tells the whole story. Like Erin Cuthbert on the women’s side, it is difficult to find a blade of grass that he has not touched so far during his time in west London.

He and Thiago Silva are seemingly the two most undroppable players for CFC at the moment. His activity with and without the ball is truly extraordinary for someone his age that is just beginning to find his footing in the most competitive league in Europe. Potter and the Blues need as much class on the pitch at once, and Enzo provides maybe the most of anyone on the squad right now.

Ben Chilwell

If Potter were going to make one altercation from the team that started in east London this past weekend, replacing Marc Cucurella for Ben Chilwell on the left side of the backline has to be the first choice. It is quite clear to anyone who has watched the Blues since Mykhailo Mudryk joined that Cucurella does not provide the tools on the left side to get the most out of the Ukrainian speedster. Chilwell’s ability to be more adventurous as the left-back could bring the most out of Mudryk.

The last time the former Leicester City defender played 90 minutes for Chelsea in the Champions League he was by far one of the Blues’ best players. Chilwell totaled eight shots creating actions to lead the team while accumulating nine progressive passes in a 2-1 win to close out the group stage against Dinamo Zagreb. Health has been a concern for the 26-year-old. Having increased his minutes total over the last two games, it would be a massive plus if he is able to go 60 or maybe even 70 minutes this time around to shake up the left flank for Potter.

Teams like Manchester City are monitoring the English international for a possible summer move, but it has been clear that Cucurella is not a serviceable enough replacement for a player that adds so much for the Blues when he is on the pitch. Cucurella does not love to get forward and overlap with Mudryk to provide him support as he attacks backlines.

The Liverpool cameo was such a bright start for the former Shakhtar Donetsk attacker, but since then, he has almost been invisible from any sort of attack from CFC. Chilwell’s inclusion is going to spark more things in the final third for the Blues. If Mudryk finds his way into the starting lineup alongside Chilwell, we could see a reinvigorated player compared to the one in the last two matches.

Joao Felix

Since coming over on loan from Atletico Madrid, Joao Felix has been a revelation on and off the pitch for the Blues. Not only has he completely embraced his life in west London, but his activity with the ball at his feet has changed the stagnant CFC attack. If it was not for his careless red card against Fulham, who knows if the Blues would have picked up more than just one win in three out of the last four games.

In less than 75 minutes on the pitch at Craven Cottage, Felix led the team in progressive carries, and expected goals at 0.8. The Portuguese international has not played 90 minutes in the five games that he contributed to for Diego Simeone in the Champions League earlier in the campaign. He may have been out of favor for Los Colchoneros, but Felix’s form has been enlivened since he took his talents to the west London outfit.

The Blues have just one goal in the past three games, and Felix has it. For a team that has struggled to find goals all season, this is a player that has the quality to be able to break down a team that allowed just five goals in the group stages of this competition.

With the most shot-creating actions and highest expected goals total of anybody against the Irons, Felix completely changes the ceiling of this team going forward. Todd Boehly signed quite a lot of players during this previous window, but the loan for Felix may turn out to be the most impactful.