• May 18, 2022
• Olaoluwa Nwobodo

Chelsea will play against Brendan Rodger’s Leicester City who has won their last two games scoring a combined eight goals. The reverse fixture of this game was very comfortable for the Blues. Harvey Barnes, Jamie Vardy, and James Maddison have been on fire for Leicester recently and Chelsea should be worried about them. This Leicester City is not the Leicester City Chelsea faced earlier in the season. This will be a very difficult game. Chelsea has been inconsistent this season and so while they should be expected to win this game comfortably, it would not be a surprise if Chelsea makes this game more difficult than it needs to be. Who does Tuchel select to start this game?

Edouard Mendy: Supermendy

Mendy is back in form after he kept a clean sheet against Leeds United and Liverpool in the FA Cup final. He was also superb in the penalty shootout as he came very close to saving a pen, before he finally saved Sadio Mane’s pen to force the shootout to go to sudden death. Mendy has kept 14 clean sheets in 32 games and he needs two more clean sheets in his next two games to equal his number of shutouts from last season. He has saved 74.4% of the shots he has faced in the Premier League this season.

Defenders: Centerbacks are back in form

The defense picks itself in this game. Trevoh Chalobah has been very good, especially in the Leeds United game and the FA Cup final. He has been alert and tenacious. He made a goal-line clearance against Liverpool, which is the product of being alert defensively. His passing has also been very good.

Thiago Silva was benched for the game against Leeds United, which turned out to be a good idea as it made him fresh for the FA Cup final. He will have a lot more work in this game though, as Leicester City is an excellent counter-attacking team and with Maddison and Vardy in form, Chelsea’s defense is one lapse in concentration away from being 1-0 down and chasing the game. The nature of the team means going 1-0 down puts you at a further disadvantage because you’re likely to concentrate more on scoring which will give them more opportunities to counter-attack. This is Rudiger’s last home game for Chelsea and while his time at Chelsea has had highs and lows, he will be missed.

Midfielders: Jorginho and Kovacic pivot to dominate possession

Jorginho was Chelsea’s busiest player in the FA Cup final. He made the most defensive actions and won nearly 70 percent of his 16 contested duels. His passing and composure were very good. He was very good off-the-ball as well. It is no coincidence that he has made the most defensive actions in Chelsea’s last two games and both games have ended in clean sheets for the Blues.

Kovacic wasn’t great in any of his last two games but that doesn’t negate his skills and the various ways he’d be important for the Blues in this game. Kovacic and Jorginho have created 14 clear-cut chances in the league between them this season. That’s a lot of quality chances from central midfield.

Reece James has been fantastic at right wingback for Chelsea this season, especially in the Premier League. He ranks second behind Mason Mount for direct goal involvements (12). James has played a major role in how far Chelsea has gotten this season. He ranks second in assists and joint-third in big chances created. Marcos Alonso has been very good at left wingback. He has not been as prolific as his wingback partner but he has been quite good for a wingback. He has seven goals and assists in 24 starts in the league. Alonso and James have created 13 clear-cut chances between them. It needs to be more.

Forwards: Unchanged FA Cup final forwards

Chelsea was more or less non-existent in the FA Cup final. Christian Pulisic stood up to be counted though as he was the most influential. His dribbling was very good and he created two chances. He was also one of the few Chelsea players who created a clear-cut chance in 120 minutes. Lukaku was ineffective, but that was not so much him as it was the situation he was in. Mount was OK all things considered. Penalty shootouts are designed to determine a winner, not get any information about players’ abilities. Pulisic, Mount, and Lukaku – bar the Liverpool game – have been very good recently so it only makes sense that they start again.

Prediction: Mendy, Chalobah, Silva, Rudiger, James, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso, Mount, Pulisic, Lukaku (3-4-2-1)