• April 19, 2022
• Olaoluwa Nwobodo

No rest for the wicked as Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea welcomes Arsenal – Chelsea’s bogey team in recent times – to Stamford Bridge for a London Derby that promises to be everything. The last time Chelsea met Arsenal at Stamford Bridge was last season before the FA Cup final. The Blues lost that one to an indiscretion by Jorginho. Chelsea’s performance was so complete against Crystal Palace that it’s hard to see them struggling against Mikel Arteta’s men this time around, despite the fact that they’ve struggled against them in recent times. Tuchel has lots of players that are either extremely tired or lacking match sharpness due to lack of game time. Therefore here’s who we think Tuchel gives the nod for this one:

Goalkeeper: Mendy again

Edouard Mendy was perfect in the Crystal Palace game and while he has had a rough few weeks, he seems to be getting back to his usual calm, superb self. Kepa Arrizabalaga did not start the FA Cup semifinal against Crystal Palace, much to the surprise of many. This indicates that perhaps Tuchel trusts Arrizabalaga less after the Carabao Cup final debacle. Either way, everything points to Mendy starting all games for the rest of the season barring any sudden event.

Defenders: Silva returns to lead the backline

Silva started the Crystal Palace game from the bench at Wembley on Sunday, showing that Tuchel grabbed a rare opportunity to rest the 37-year-old Brazilian. Chelsea is set to play 63 games by the time the season is over, which means that Silva, as well as some other players, have played quite a few games already this season. This is why Tuchel is trying to manage the minutes of his key players as much as he can.

Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger would also return to the lineup as Chelsea cannot afford to break the consistency in the backline. Christensen and Rudiger were solid in the FA Cup semifinal and played their role in Chelsea dominating Crystal Palace, though not from start to finish.

Midfielders: Jorginho to marshal the midfield again

Jorginho made that horrendous back pass to Arrizabalaga in this fixture last season, except Arrizabalaga wasn’t close to the area Jorginho’s pass was directed to. This resulted in the only goal that was scored in the match, leaving the Blues with zero points out of six from Arsenal in the 2020/21 Premier League season. Of course, he’s come a long way since then and he’d do well to be more alert in this match

In the absence of Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek is likely to be the one to complete the pivot against Arsenal tomorrow. N’Golo Kante would naturally have been the one to start beside Jorginho, but Loftus-Cheek was superb against Crystal Palace, where Kante simply wasn’t. Kante has also been in shaky form in recent weeks so a few games on the bench wouldn’t hurt him at all.

Of course, Reece James and Marcos Alonso would start at wingback. Alonso does love a goal or two against these particular opponents. Alonso has been especially excellent in recent games, and despite the fact that Chelsea has no backup left wingback, the Spaniard is playing both by necessity and on merit. James was instrumental in making Arsenal look like a semi-professional team early in the season in the reverse fixture of the game. More of that, please.

Forwards: Ziyech steps in for Mount, does Lukaku return?

Hakim Ziyech has not been starting in recent games, which is weird considering the form he was in. It’s not entirely surprising though, as there has only been space for one attacking midfielder and Mason Mount has done well in that role since Tuchel switched to a 3-4-1-2. Mount is likely to be very tired after playing more than 75 minutes against Crystal Palace not up to three days ago.

Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku may start in front of Ziyech. Several Chelsea players looked like they were running on fumes against Crystal Palace and unfortunately, Havertz was one of them. Werner at some point looked tired too, but he hasn’t played nearly as much as Havertz has this season, or in recent weeks. Lukaku has been on the bench for the better part of the last two months, much to the delight of a large section of the Chelsea fanbase. He’s still a Chelsea player though, and Tuchel should not and would not hesitate to call on him when he’s needed. A situation where his favorite option in that position is fatigued should surely spell a situation where the Belgium No. 9 is needed, no? Chelsea shouldn’t struggle against Arsenal, though it’s a London Derby, and there’s a reason it gets as much attention as it does. Arsenal would not be a pushover.

Prediction: Mendy, Christensen, Silva, Rudiger, James, Jorginho, Loftus-Cheek, Alonso, Ziyech, Werner, Lukaku

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