Hello and welcome to the Chelsea News podcast with me your host Jack and in todays episode of the podcast we will be talking about how Chelsea could line up next season with new signings Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly in the team next season, with thing such as a potential change of formation being discussed, new options in defence and midfield and many other things.
First of all we will be talking about the goalkeeper for next season and of course for next season we should be starting with last season’s Mr Reliable in nets, Eduard Mendy, who was the best and most consistent goalkeeper in the world last season, keeping clean sheet after clean sheet as Chelsea reaches the Champions league quarter finals and 3rd place in the Premier league. He should be starting in goal for the Blues next season after being immaculate in his two years as a Chelsea Number one, helping us to multiple cup triumphs and to 3 trophies in 2 years under Thomas Tuchel.
I don’t think that we should be changing formations this season as this formation has served us so well in the past and allows our outstanding wing backs to push up the pitch and do what they do best whilst also providing us with elite defensive cover. Other formations have been talked about at the club such as the 4-3-3 but I believe that Thomas Tuchel no longer wants this formation after bringing in players who seem to only really fit with his current system at the club.
Next up we have Ben Chillwell, the left back who has been so good at the club whenever he is injury free. As of late, the Englishman has been sidelined a worrying amount, and was even forced to miss most of the season with an injury, which truly was a massive loss for the club. On his day he is the best left back in the world and when playing in the system that we have been at the club in that 5-2-3 almost (but it can alternate) he is a force to be reckoned with when he runs rampant down that left side of the pitch where he is most comfortable. Should he be able to stay injury free this year, he could be crucial as Chelsea look to compete on all fronts this year with their revitalised team with new superstars such as Koulibaly and Raheem Sterling, along with a few others that haven’t, as of yet been confirmed. He is truly one of the superstars and one of the most important pieces in the Chelsea jigsaw and is massively underated as he should truly be treated as one of the best players in the world when fit, and I think certainly he is the best in his position in world football on his day, definitely far clear of players such as Manchester City’s João Cancelo or Liverpool’s Andy Robertson, who are certainly both good players, but not to the same calibre of CHillwell. And yes, of course, when you lose a player like that early on in the season, of course the team around him possibly won’t perform to the same high standard and it is a testament to the quality of the squad that they were able to play without him and many of their other players and still finish in a respectable position in 3rd. For example, when other teams whose players are overhyped as opposed to the Chelsea players who don’t receive the plaudits that they deserve perhaps, such as Liverpool, they are praised. Liverpool had no Van Dijk that season, and I would argue that the loss of Virgil Van Dijk to Liverpool isn’t as devastating a loss to the club as CHillwell was to Chelsea. The full backs are practically how the system is built, with the overlapping full backs going forward and almost acting as strikers of sorts in attacking positions being a major part of how the club plays.
After CHillwell we have the first centre back, with this being our new signing in Kalidou Koulibaly. Before anyone mentions about which side of the pitch he plays or anything such as that, I am simply drawing up plans of who could play in whichever said position as I will be the first to admit to not having watched him in the Serie A for a considerable amount of time now. He seems to still be a very capable centre back and one that Chelsea have reportedly already agreed a fee for which is set to be around 33 million euros and he could be a very competent addition to the team. The main stumbling block for him at the club however could indeed be his age paired with him not having played in the Premier League before. In the Premier League, usually for new players it takes young names time to adjust and with him being 31 who knows how he will do in the best league in the world. But indeed I would be interested however to see how he would slot into the defensive partnership at the team at his age. As he is a very experienced player, he should be able to help our younger defenders, who will be mentioned later, grow and become the best players they can in the Chelsea first team. He is also the captain of the senegalese national team which is a testament to his leadership abilities and shows that he is capable to lead a dressing room and will hopefully be a positive influence upon the squad.
And the young player in particular that I was speaking of is none other than yet another player that is linked with moving to stamford bridge this summer in current Juventus defender Mattias De Ligt. De Ligt has been a superb young player over the past couple of years after helping Ajax to a champions league semi final as captain all but 4 years ago before moving to join Juventus in a 75 million pound move. He has done well at the club, and is now set to be looking for other challenges abroad with Chelsea one of the two horses moving to sign the dutchman this summer. Thomas Tuchel is said to be extremely keen on the players signature and he could be a player not just for now for the manager, but one for the future looking forward as well, which is something that the new owners in Todd Boehly and the Clearlake consortium are reportedly interested in giving Thomas Tuchel, which looks to be a breath of fresh air from the previous roman abramovic regime under which managers were chopped and changed should they not perform even for one season at the club. This may have yielded success in the past whereas now, the top managers only join if given stability, and it is with no doubt that stability helps get the best performances out of the players at the club. They can implement their playing style, buy their players and so forth. And this is something that Todd Boehly is keen on giving Thomas Tuchel as he wishes to catch up with the big two of late in Manchester City and Liverpool on all fronts, something that Thomas Tuchel was able to do whilst given no signings of his own choice. And before anyone mentions either Saul or Lukaku, there is this argument supporting my original statement. Thomas Tuchel was said to have been chasing Erling Harland all of that summer and was reportedly offered romelu lukaku as he was the next best thing on the market for the German. And as for Saul, his issues were not with the tactical system or style of play, but reportedly more with homesickness of Spain and in particular Atletico Madrid, who he had been with for his whole career prior.
The final player, and a particularly old one, but one that has been superb in his time at the blues is Thiago silva. Since arriving from what was then Thomas Tuchel’s PSG side, he has been superb and has been a leader and an excellent defender at the club despite being at the ripe old age of 37. I believe that Thiago Silva should really only be used sparingly, such as in the big games and on big occasions, pretty much as he was last season, with the rotational option of Trevor Chalobah being available in order to reduce the workload on the player. I believe that Chelsea have, should this become our team, the best leaders and some of the most experienced players in the world on their books and this can be nothing but positive for the club. An EX AC Milan player (when they were really good) who is also a former PSG Captain who played week in week out at the club at the age of 35, an EX Ajax captain and someone who has played alongside Chiellini and Bonucci and the Senegalese national team captain who is world renowned for his amazing top class defending which has earnt him plaudits in not only Italy but across Europe for his physicality and amazing defending. I challenge you to find a better defensive partnership than this in the whole world. There isn’t a single team with better first choice options than this.
Finally we have one of the best full backs again in world football and a player who i believe on his day is the best right back in the world again, and definitely clear of Trent in the debate of who should start for England as referenced by Gareth Southgate's choices in selection. This player being none other than Chelsea's academy graduate and wonderkid, Reece James. The flying full back has many of the same traits as Ben CHillwell and is also the best in his position when playing. Last season he had a good season, but it was partially troubled by the fact that he had injuries and to a certain extent was slowed down and almost made to play slightly differently becuase of the injury to the other side of the pitch's Ben Chillwell. But i believe that this season Reece James should be able to link up with new signing Raheem Sterling down that right hand side of the pitch o great effect and that both sides of Chelsea's attack and defence will be safe next year due to the amazing full back duo that is Reece James and Ben Chillwell, who on their day combine so well. If we can see a repeat of the amazing form that they enjoyed that saw them win the Champions League with CHelsea and in particular the game that saw Chelsea run out as 4-0 winners against Italian giants Juventus last season in the group stages, CHelsea will be a force to be reckoned with, combined with their new revitalised world class defensive partnership, and some other new signings.
In the first position in midfield I believe that Chelsea should start with Kovacic who has been so good in his time at Chelsea, especially this season and early on straight after taking the number 8 shirt from Ross Barkley. He is crucial to the way that we play and is still relatively young and i believe that he should be starting in the blues midfield for many years to come as he is absolutely important to Chelsea going forward and should be treated as such by people outside of the club as roundly at the moment he doesnt seem to be valued as highly as he should be outside of Chelsea. I am firmly of the belief that Kovacic could start for any team in the world right now, perhaps bar Real Madrid or Manchester City. That is simply how good he is and at that level of course we should keep him at Chelsea.
Next up we have a possibly more contentious shout in that being Mason Mount starting in midfield and i believe he should play there simply because of how crucial mason mount is to how we play because he is pretty much at this stage, the player that keeps Chelsea ticking over and i dont think that this quality is valued enough by Chelsea fans or people outside the club. This seems to follow the trend as of late of harshly underating chelsea players despite them being among the best in Europe and consistently performing in both the Premier League and in continental competitions. Mason Mount is thought of as overhyped but really does an amazing job in the midfield at the club and i think that this could be yet another season for him to display this after he reached 29 goals and assists last season.
Next up and someone who i truly hope doesn't leave for AC Milan this summer as has been talked about is Hakim Ziyech. Ziyech in his limited game time at the club has been superb and i thinkk isnt valued highly enough by the Chelsea fans. Everyone seems to know about what he did to Tottenham at this stage and that is just a glimpse into what he can do at his best and i think that Chelsea should give him the opportunity to show his best form and show the Chelsea faithful the type of player he is and how good he can be and was at Ajax before we signed him. I would be putting him in a position coming off the left with the ability to swing in crosses or dribble as he was at Ajax which could really help him to ignite his best form at Stamford Bridge. Hakim Ziyech is in my eyes at least, probably the most talented player in the Premier League right now, but it is simply a shame that he has never been able to properly use all of that talent, even when at Ajax and if Chelsea can get him playing to the best of his abilities, he will be well worth every penny the club spent on him and could become a player who i think is capable, on talent alone, of being an Eden Hazard replacement. But wether or not that will ever come to fruition is a major problem again in itself.
In the striker position and one that has been much talked about this summer after the departure of club record signing Romelu Lukaku, I will be starting with the clubs next most expensive signing which is our German wonderkid and a player who is the best youngster in the premier league at the time of speaking. This being Kai Havertz. Havertz is more than capable of playing as a striker in the team and would be amazing as a striker with service and help from the likes of Hakim Ziyech, Raheem Sterling, Christian Politic and Chelsea aforementioned amazing wing back service. With him up front Chelsea are truly a force to be reckoned with next year as we challenge for the Premier League title.
I touched on it briefly here and there so far in the video and in this position, of course it is going to be Chelseas first big new signing in Raheem Sterling. Sterling has been so good in his time at Manchester City and is arriving at Chelsea as the new big signing at the club this summer and will be expected to start at Chelsea this summer and I believe that he will perform excellently this year in a blues shirt.
Anyway thanks for listening to this slightly drawn out but very much in depth look at the Chelsea first 11 and who should be starting for us going forward into next season. Just a sidetone before I end the video. This is from my perspective looking at some of the potential transfers coming into the club and I believe that only Koulibaly and Sterling have been confirmed and the only non confirmed transfer as of right now I included is Mattias De Ligt who looks increasingly more likely to sign on the dotted line for Chelsea instead of German giants Bayern Munich.
Apologies for the somewhat drawn out intro there, but thanks for listening to the Chelsea news podcast with me your host Jack. If you enjoyed don’t forget to like and subscribe to the Channel. Bye!
