Last Saturday, Chelsea have finally returned to wins again at the English Premier League after overcoming their neighbours and rivals Arsenal at a packed Stamford Bridge. The Blues have, in a way, avenged last August’s FA Community Shield defeat and at the same time granted their second league win in six matches.
It is fair to say that Chelsea’s game has been improving, at least over the last couple of matches. The attacking processes are considerably more efficient and both the defensive and midfield lines are showing some blatant improvements.
The French defender Kurt Zouma is slowly cementing is place at the centre of the defence, thus disrupting for good the team’s usual duo from the last three seasons. Up front, the newcomer Pedro Rodriguez is proving to be a breath of fresh air in the team’s attacking game apathy, as he slowly claims his place as a key player in the team’s maneuvers.
Next Wednesday’s Capital One Cup match against Walsall FC will surely be a good opportunity for Chelsea to grab their third consecutive win and for José Mourinho to field other footballers that still have not had plenty of opportunities so far this season. On the other side of the wall, the Blues will find a team that is going through a very positive moment, since they are currently on the second place of League One, with just one defeat in eight official matches so far.
The West Midlands team has an interesting set of footballers, from which one must highlight the Saint Kitts and Nevis’ midfielder Romaine Sawyers, the versatile Cypriot defender Jason Demetriou and the Slovak winger Milan Lalkovic, who was part of Chelsea’s youth teams a few years ago.
That being said, this is Chelsea’s strongest possible lineup for their upcoming Capital One Cup match against Walsall FC at Bescot Stadium next Wednesday.
Goalkeeper
The English youth international goalkeeper, Jamal Blackman, might have his opportunity in next Wednesday’s cup match against Walsall FC. Nevertheless, given Chelsea’s current moment, José Mourinho might still opt for Asmir Begovic, whose experience might prove to be of paramount importance for matches such as this.
Defence
John Terry and Baba Rahman will certainly be part of the team’s starting line-up at Bescot Stadium next Wednesday. Ivanovic and the newcomer Papy Djilobodji will probably assume the remaining roles at the Blues defence line.
Midfield
The English wonderboy Ruben Loftus-Cheek will probably return to the team after his impressive display against Maccabi Tel-Aviv last week. Obi Mikel, Ramires, Pedro and Kenedy have strong chances of becoming part of Chelsea’s starting XI on Wednesday.
Forward
Diego Costa’s episode with Gabriel last weekend has, once again, revealed the Brazilian born Spanish international’s confrontational character and José Mourinho will probably give him a rest against Walsall FC. The French forward Loic Remy and the Colombian sharpshooter Radamel Falcao are the most likely candidates for Diego Costa’s place.
(4-5-1)
