Mauricio Pochettino leading the completely new and young squad as we look at the confirmed best lineup for Chelsea for Premier League 2023-2024.
The new season of the Premier League has started, and after 4 games, Chelsea are placed 12th and have had one of their worst starts in the league. The draw against Liverpool in the first game looked good, and Chelsea fans were optimistic about this season. But 2 losses in the next 3 games, and the only win against Luton have changed the mood completely at Stamford Bridge.
Moreover, the injuries to key players like James, Fofana, Nkunku and Mudryk have made Pochettino’s start at Chelsea tougher than he would have wanted. With Chelsea FC under the new owner Todd Boehly have spent over a Billion pounds in the last three windows, a top 4 finish this season is a must for the team.
This Chelsea squad looks extremely new and a lot of Chelsea fans are still wondering what the starting XI would be this season. The most recognizable part of the team seems to be the defence with Chilwell, James, and Thiago Silva being the more experienced Chelsea names.
However, Chelsea are still struggling with the perennial challenge of a consistent goal scorer in the team. With Lukaku leaving and Broja, Nkunku and Mudryk injured, Jackson becomes the only option at this moment along with attacking midfielders like Sterling and Cole Palmer.
So, let’s look at what Chelsea FC would look like through the 2023/24 season.
Goalkeepers
Main Keeper: Robert Sanchez
Backups: Lucas Bergstrom, Marcus Bettinelli
Looking at the first two games of the season, it seems like Robert Sanchez will be starting most games. However, it seems like Chelsea will possibly look to buy another Goalkeeper in the Winter transfer window for the second half of the season. With no Europe this season, the league and domestic cups will be the only tournaments where Chelsea can give their goalkeepers opportunities to shine.
Defence:
Main Defenders: Reece James, Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana, Axel Disasi, Ben Chilwell
Backups: Thiago Silva, Benoit Badiashile, Marc Cucurella, Trevoh Chalobah, Malo Gusto, Ian Maatsen
While the most recognizable department at Chelsea FC is the defence, injuries have forced Pochettino to look at the backups and manage the season. With injuries to Reece James (captain), Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana, Chelsea FC have lost 2 definite starters in Chelsea’s defence. Disasi has managed to impress, and seems like Ian Maatsen / Malo Gusto will get more game time given the injury to Reece James on the wings.
Ideally, Pochettino would want Thiago Silva to start all games given his experience and leadership. However, given his age, it seems unlikely Thiago Silva can start all games this season. This Chelsea defence would look much more solid once injuries are sorted out, and the key players are back in the playing XI.
Midfield:
Main Midfielders: Enzo Fernandez, Raheem Sterling, Cole Palmer, Moisés Caicedo
Backups: Mykhailo Mudryk, Roméo Lavia, Noni Madueke, Carney Chukwuemeka, Lesley Ugochukwu, Conor Gallagher
The midfield for Chelsea is an interesting part of the team. Todd Boehly in the last 3 transfer windows has spent 121mn Euros on Enzo Fernandez, 116mn Euros for Caicedo, 70mn for Mudryk, 62mn Euros for Lavia, 56mn Euros for Sterling, 49mn Euros for Cole Palmer and another 80mn Euros for Madueke, Chukwuemeka and Ugochukwu in the midfield.
The average age of all these new players is 21 with Sterling being the only one above 22 years of age. This shows that this super-expensive Chelsea midfield is still young and inexperienced. With an investment of 500mn+ Euros in the midfield, the initial 2 games have had results that would worry Pochettino as the team is expected to start winning games so they can finish in the top 4 this season.
Letting go of experienced players like Kante, Kovacic, Havertz, and Mount will also make it difficult as the midfield goes through this massive transition. However, these big signing prices have put big pressure on these young talents and it will be interesting to see how they progress through this season.
Forwards:
Main Forwards: Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson, Armando Broja
The Chelsea team this season depended pretty much on Nkunku being their goal-scorer. However, the pre-season injury has made Pochettino’s plans go for a toss. The team started Nicolas Jackson in the opening 2 games, and while he has a lot of energy and great movement, he hasn’t been able to find the back of the net in both games.
While Broja showed the world that he could be a goalscorer in the few games he played last season, he is also injured and we will have to wait and watch if he can come back with the same form. These players are all young and clearly have a lot of potential, but with the injuries to 2 out of the three forwards, it seems like Pochttino might be willing to buy another player before the transfer window closes.
Chelsea Official Squad for Season 2023/24:
Goalkeepers: Robert Sanchez, Lucas Bergstrom, Marcus Bettinelli
Defenders: Reece James, Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Ben Chilwell, Thiago Silva, Axel Disasi, Marc Cucurella, Trevoh Chalobah, Malo Gusto, Ian Maatsen
Midfielders: Enzo Fernandez, Raheem Sterling, Mykhailo Mudryk, Moisés Caicedo, Roméo Lavia, Noni Madueke, Carney Chukwuemeka, Lesley Ugochukwu, Conor Gallagher, Cole Palmer
Forwards: Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson, Armando Broja
Manager: Mauricio Pochettino
Chelsea Confirmed Best Lineup for Premier League 2023-2024 :
Assuming there are no injuries in the team, the Playing XI for Chelsea would ideally be :
Goalkeepers: Robert Sanchez
Defenders: Reece James, Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Ben Chilwell
Midfielders: Enzo Fernandez, Raheem Sterling, Moisés Caicedo, Cole Palmer
Forwards: Christopher Nkunku
Manager: Mauricio Pochettino
Thanks for reading! What’s your take on the squad and lineup for Chelsea FC for Premier League 2023-2024? Please email your thoughts to footbalyticsofficial@gmail.com.
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Ayush is an author at Footbalytics. He is an avid football fan. He loves to play and follow the sport, and has been following club football since 2005, and has been playing the fantasy premier league for over 10 years.
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